In October 2021, the "Action Plan for Carbon Peaking Before 2030" was issued, which pointed out the development path for energy, industry, construction, transportation, economy and other related industries from multiple perspectives, and the "Plan" pointed out that "accelerate the construction of a new power system and build a strong smart grid". In January 2024, the State Grid Corporation of China proposed at the 2024 work conference that it is necessary to build a new power system, build a new energy system, form a new quality productivity, build a strong digital and intelligent power grid, and make positive contributions to ensuring energy security and achieving the "double carbon" goal.
What is a strong power grid with digital intelligence, and how can we make it strong?
There is an urgent need to improve grid resilience
In recent years, there have been many major power outages caused by extreme events around the world, causing huge losses and exposing the vulnerability of the power system to extreme events. In addition to traditional coal power and hydropower, the capacity and proportion of wind power, photovoltaic and gas-fired power generation have been continuously improved, promoting clean and low-carbon power utilization. Among them, renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, and water have the characteristics of "relying on the sky for food", and there are "climate risks". However, multi-energy coupling also increases the risk of fault cascading propagation. It can be seen that the development of multi-energy power system requires new ideas and paradigms that can take into account the goals of safety, economy, cleanliness and low-carbon, and resilience is an indispensable factor.
In 2021, Shanghai's 14th Five-Year Plan proposed that in the next five years, Shanghai should strengthen the concept of safety and resilience, maintain flexibility in infrastructure construction, emergency material reserves and guarantees, and improve the city's ability to respond to disasters.
In 2022, the monograph "Resilient Power Grid" co-authored by State Grid Shanghai Electric Power Company, Beijing Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University and other universities was published, officially putting forward the concept of "resilient power grid", that is, "a power grid that can comprehensively, quickly and accurately perceive the operation situation of the power grid, cooperate with internal and external resources of the power grid, make active prediction and active preparation for various disturbances, take the initiative to defend, recover quickly, and can self-learn and continuously improve".
At present, resilient power grid is still an emerging frontier field, and relevant research at home and abroad is still in its infancy, and its research needs are also changing.
Based on the current research results, a resilient power grid should have at least the following characteristics:
Perception, that is, comprehensively, quickly and accurately perceive the operation status of the power grid, ** the future operation situation of the power grid and make early warnings for potential risks.
Strain, that is, the power grid actively predicts the impact of the event before the accident, formulates a plan, and takes preparatory measures to deal with sudden disturbances.
Defense, that is, in the dynamic development of disturbance events, the power grid takes proactive defensive measures to reduce the impact of the event.
ResilienceThat is, after the normal function of the power grid is damaged, the emergency recovery and repair mechanism will be activated in time to ensure the continuous power supply of important loads and quickly restore the function of the power grid to the normal state.
Synergy, that is, the power grid cooperates with internal and external resources to jointly respond to disturbances, including transmission and distribution coordination, source-grid-load-storage coordination, power grid and other key infrastructure coordination, energy brain and urban operation brain coordination, etc.
Ability to learn, i.e., the grid learns from historical events or other severe outages experienced by the grid and continuously integrates emerging technologies to improve itself.
Table How to enhance resilience at all levels of the power grid.
Problems and challenges in improving grid resilience
Compared with other economies, China has always adhered to the spirit of hard work and has achieved more remarkable advantages in this field, but it still faces great challenges. In the author's view, improving the resilience of the power grid mainly faces the following problems and challenges:
Technical challengesThe construction of a resilient power grid needs to rely on the support of a variety of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, cloud computing and blockchain. However, the application of these technologies also faces a series of technical challenges such as data security, privacy protection, and algorithm optimization.
Investment challengesThe construction of a resilient power grid requires a large amount of capital investment, including investment in equipment renewal, technology research and development, and talent training. How to ensure the optimal and effective use of funds is an important challenge for the construction of resilient power grids.
Regulatory challenges: The construction and operation of resilient power grids require regulation and support. However, how to formulate reasonable regulatory policies and standards to ensure the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the power grid is also one of the challenges facing the construction of a resilient power grid.
Market challenges: The competition and openness of the electricity market have put forward higher requirements for the construction and operation of resilient power grids. How to adapt to market demand and improve the flexibility and adaptability of the power grid is a market challenge that needs to be faced by the construction of a resilient power grid.
The challenge of integrating social resources: The construction and operation of resilient power grids involve all aspects of society, such as residents, enterprises, etc. How to balance the interests of all parties and ensure the fairness, justice and sustainable development of the power grid is a comprehensive challenge facing the construction of a resilient power grid.
The path to building a resilient power grid
Digital transformation in the energy sector is in full swing. A number of pilot projects in various provinces are constantly making small breakthroughs in terms of considerable, measurable, adjustable and controllable resources. In the process of slowly drawing the blueprint and making breakthroughs at multiple points, the author believes that the following aspects can be strengthened to ensure the implementation of resilient power grids:
The first is to study and formulate development plans。By clarifying development goals, key tasks and safeguard measures, a clear plan for the development of resilient power grids should be formulated. The planning should comprehensively consider factors such as energy structure, load characteristics, grid form, and operation characteristics to ensure that the power grid is clean, low-carbon, safe and controllable, flexible and efficient, intelligent, friendly, and open and interactive.
Second, we should focus on strengthening technological innovation。Intensify scientific and technological innovation in the fields of basic materials and data science, and promote the application of new technologies in power grids. Focus on strengthening the research and development and application of artificial intelligence, big data, Internet of Things, cloud computing, blockchain and other technologies, 5G and 6G communication technologies, and improve the intelligence level of the power grid and the ability to respond to emergencies.
The third is to quickly improve the level of equipment。Strengthen the renovation and operation and maintenance management of power grid equipment, and improve the reliability, safety and efficiency of equipment. Promote intelligent equipment, automation equipment and condition monitoring equipment to achieve comprehensive monitoring and maintenance of equipment.
Fourth, we should strengthen coordination and cooperation。Strengthen the synergy between the power grid and other critical infrastructure to achieve resource sharing, information exchange and interconnection. Establish a cross-industry coordination mechanism to form a joint force to jointly respond to emergencies.
Fifth, promote the improvement of the market mechanism。Improve the mechanism of the electricity market and promote competition and openness in the electricity market. The optimal allocation of power resources is guided through the market mechanism, and the flexibility and adaptability of the power grid are improved.
Sixth, focus on cultivating innovative talents。Strengthen the training and introduction of talents in the field of power grid, and establish a high-quality and professional power grid talent team. Through the cultivation and introduction of talents, we will promote the innovation and management innovation of the power grid.
Future outlook
Building a strong smart grid will be a long-term and challenging process. In the process of overall transformation and upgrading, huge social resources will be mobilized. How to use the market mechanism, rationally allocate resources, and the enthusiasm of all relevant parties is another major issue that needs to be paid attention to and built in addition to technology. The road is long and resistant, and the line is down.
Written by |Liu Mengmeng is a researcher at the Energy and Electric Power Research Department of Qingyan Group.
Edit |Chen Zexi.
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