Seeking the Optimal Solution for Energy Transformation

The 20th National Congress report thoroughly elaborated on how to advance green and low-carbon development and harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. Among them, "accelerating the planning and construction of a new energy system" serves as a crucial guide for the transformation and upgrading of China's energy industry in the new era, outlining a new blueprint for the development of our energy system.

In the new era and with new demands, China's energy system must accelerate its transformation against the backdrop of the "double carbon" goal. What characteristics should a new energy system possess? How will a new power system support this new energy system? How can the relationship between traditional and new energy development be effectively managed? To address these questions, our reporter interviewed Lin Weibin, Director of the Energy Policy Research Office at the China Energy Research Society.

ZhongNeng Media: In the new development phase, what are the new characteristics of China's energy security? What should be particularly focused on when building a new energy system?

Lin Weibin: We previously discussed China's energy security, with a focus on oil and gas security issues, as over 70% of our crude oil and over 40% of our natural gas depend on imports. In recent years, with the large-scale development and utilization of new energy sources like wind and solar power, the security of power supply has increasingly become an energy issue that requires our attention. This is because wind and solar power generation is characterized by intermittency and instability, deeply affected by meteorological conditions such as wind speed and light intensity.

For instance, during the 2021 summer peak electricity consumption period, the Northeast Power Grid's 35 million kilowatt wind power installed capacity only yielded a total output of 340,000 kilowatts. In the 2022 summer, the wind power output during the early peak hours of the heaviest load day in Fujian Power Grid was merely 130,000 kilowatts, accounting for less than 1% of the installed capacity. Moreover, conventional power sources like hydropower are greatly affected by meteorological conditions, especially during extreme weather such as high temperatures and droughts, or cold waves. The power shortage in Sichuan during the 2022 summer summer served as a wake-up call for the security of power supply assurance.

As the proportion of unstable power sources in the power system continues to rise, coupled with the intensifying global warming leading to frequent extreme weather events, the issue of electricity supply security will become increasingly prominent.