Important step

陈小将

Developing energy storage is an important step in China's transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, while mitigating the effect of new energy's randomness, volatility and intermittence on the grid and managing power supply and demand, he said.

With the commissioning of numerous gigawatt-scale renewable base projects in Northwest China, the local grid system needs to integrate renewable capacity, optimize power output and address intermittency issues brought on by wind and solar energy, said Deng Simeng, a senior analyst in renewables and power research at global consultancy Rystad Energy.

China's installed power generation capacity surged 14.5 percent year-on-year to 2.99 billion kW by the end of March, with that of solar power soaring 55 percent year-on-year to 660 million kW and wind power rising 21.5 percent year-on-year to about 460 million kW, according to the NEA.

"Battery storage, which entails smaller devices, flexible sites, and shorter construction periods compared to wind, solar and other conventional power sources, is gathering significant attention for its pivotal role and benefits," she said.

"This is especially significant as China has been developing solar and wind power on a large scale, amid efforts to boost renewable power consumption while ensuring stable operation of the electric grid system."

Major power generation enterprises nationwide have also stepped up investment in power projects since the beginning of this year, investing 136.5 billion yuan ($18.84 billion) during the first three months, up 7.7 percent year-on-year, while that of power grid projects amounted to 76.6 billion yuan, up 14.7 percent year-on-year, said the administration.

Zhongchu Guoneng (Beijing) Technology Co Ltd and the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have jointly developed the world's largest compressed air energy storage, which achieved its first grid connection and power generation in China's Shandong province in May.

With a total investment of 1.496 billion yuan, the 300 MW power station is believed to be the largest compressed air energy storage power station in the world, with the highest efficiency and lowest unit cost as well.

Capable of continuous discharge for six hours and generating approximately 600 million kWh per year, the power station will provide power support for about 200,000 to 300,000 households during peak electricity hours.

According to Deng, in terms of its application, battery storage, with advantages of peak shaving, frequency regulation, fast response, and flexible dispatch, not only assists wind and solar farms on the generation side, but also supports grid-side and user-side operations.

Given the rapid pace of renewable installations, accelerating the development of new-type energy storage will be a key breakthrough for the northwestern region to mitigate renewable curtailment and enable a more resilient and secure power grid, she said.

China aims to further develop its new energy storage capacity, which is expected to advance from the initial stage of commercialization to large-scale development by 2025, with an installed capacity of more than 30 million kW, and realize full market-oriented development of new energy storage by 2030, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

Provinces nationwide, in response, are stepping up efforts to construct energy storage facilities to better consume the green but volatile green energy and maintain grid stability.

Qinghai province, for example, requires that 10 percent of the wind power projects developed should be supported by the construction of electric storage devices.

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