Powering China's Sustainable Development with

Electric Power Components and Systems

ISSN: 1532-5008 (Print) 1532-5016 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uemp20

Powering China's Sustainable Development with Renewable Energies: Current Status and Future Trend Youwei Jia, Yang Gao, Zhao Xu, Kit Po Wong, Loi Lei Lai, Yusheng Xue, Zhao Yang Dong & David J. Hill To cite this article: Youwei Jia, Yang Gao, Zhao Xu, Kit Po Wong, Loi Lei Lai, Yusheng Xue, Zhao Yang Dong & David J. Hill (2015) Powering China's Sustainable Development with Renewable Energies: Current Status and Future Trend, Electric Power Components and Systems, 43:8-10, 1193-1204, DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2015.1009585 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15325008.2015.1009585

Published online: 11 May 2015.

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Date: 30 November 2015, At: 03:22

Electric Power Components and Systems, 43(8–10):1193–1204, 2015 C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Copyright ISSN: 1532-5008 print / 1532-5016 online DOI: 10.1080/15325008.2015.1009585

Powering China’s Sustainable Development with Renewable Energies: Current Status and Future Trend Youwei Jia,1 Yang Gao,1 Zhao Xu,1 Kit Po Wong,2 Loi Lei Lai,3 Yusheng Xue,4 Zhao Yang Dong,5 and David J. Hill6 1

Department of Electrical Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, P.R. China School of Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia 3 State Grid Energy Research Institute, Beijing, P. R. China 4 State Grid Electric Power Research Institute, Nanjing, P. R. China 5 School of School of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Sydney, Australia 6 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, P.R. China

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CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. Current Status of Chinese Renewable Industry 3. Planning Strategies and Objectives for Renewable Technology Development in China 4. On-Going Key Projects 5. Current Technical Status of Renewable Development and Future Trends in China 6. Conclusions Funding References

Abstract—China experienced a rapid economic growth in the past few decades, whereas it has been facing a critical environmental situation. It is palpable that creating a sustainable energy structure in China is urgently required. As reported in China’s 12th Five-year (2011–2015) Plan (which is a five-year development plan that outlines the development focus and strategic plan for different sectors in the next five-year period, published by the State Council of the PRC every five years), integrating more renewable energy, especially from solar and wind sources, becomes an essential part of their smart grid development. This article comprehensively reviews the existing achievements of renewable technology development and current status including relevant policies from central government and some ongoing demonstration projects. Promoting new energy vehicles (e.g., electric vehicles) as an effective way of reducing carbon emissions is addressed in this article as well. Finally, the difficulties at the current stage are analyzed and future trends for a subsequent phase of development are also outlined.

1. INTRODUCTION

Keywords: Chinese smart grid, renewable energy, policy, demonstration projects, future trends Received 22 November 2014; accepted 6 January 2015 Address correspondence to Zhao Xu, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Department of Electrical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong S.A.R, China. E-mail: [email protected] Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/uemp.

As the largest electricity consumer in the world, China has been making an ambitious effort to provide the secure energy services required by its rapidly growing economy. It is expected that the electricity demand in China would double over the next decade and most likely triple by 2035 [1]. To accommodate the increasing energy demand, as well as mitigate the contribution to pollution and climate change, the Chinese central government has posed the development of renewable energies as a strategic choice to drive a significant transition from the current fossil fuel intensive power system to a low-carbon one. At the end of September 2014, China had a total installed electric power capacity of 1266 GW, which grew by 8.7% 1193

1194

Electric Power Components and Systems, Vol. 43 (2015), Nos. 8–10

Fossil fuels Hydro power Nuclear power Wind power Total

Installed capacity in 2014 (GW; for wind farms with over 6000 kW)

Electricity generation (January to September 2014) (TWh)

887 258 17.78 84.82 1266

3138.2 715.5 94.6 108.2 4075.5

Compared to the generation in the same period in 2013 (%) +0.7 +20.8 +17.7 +8.9

quires continuous efforts to accelerate renewable development in China. The Chinese central government has indicated the ambitious long-term goal of having hydro, nuclear, wind, and solar power become the main source for electricity generation by 2020 with a total installed capacity of 650 GW [4, 5]. China’s 12th Five-year (2011–2015) Plan for the energy sector has identified the critical role of renewable energies in the context of its smart grid development, in which five key points are highlighted as follows [6–8]: (i) Upgrading and enhancing the safety system of nuclear power plants;


TABLE 1. Installed capacity and electricity generation in 2014

as compared to that of 2013 [2]. As shown in Table 1 and Figure 1, fossil fuels still remain the dominant source of power generation from January to September in 2014, of which the use of thermal generation (mostly coal-fired) grew by 0.7% as compared to the same period in 2013. However, it is worth noting that the growth rate of thermal generation has been decreased by 5.8% in 2014. In the meantime, hydro, nuclear, and wind power generation, respectively, grew by 20.8, 17.7, and 8.9% as compared to those of 2013. Photovoltaic (PV) generation still plays a relatively small role at the current stage [3]. In 2014, China has led the world in the production and use of renewable energies (especially for wind and solar power). According to the statistics previously mentioned, undoubtedly the nation has made a notable progress of renewable development in the past few years. Nevertheless, due to the fast increasing demand for electricity, the reformed energy structure, and more and more critical environmental concerns, it still re-

(ii) Improving and standardizing the market regulation of PV products and actively promoting the use of solar energy for electricity generation; (iii) Improving the technology of on-shore and off-shore wind power generation; (iv) Exploiting and encouraging the use of biological and geothermal energy for electricity generation according to the local conditions; (v) Encouraging the development of electric vehicles (EVs) and accelerating the construction of demonstration platforms of EV application in smart grid. In view of the significant role of renewable energies for sustainable development, this article gives an overview of renewable development and relevant domestic industries in China, which mainly focuses on wind and solar energies. The remaining parts of this article are organized as follows. Section 2 briefly reviews the current status of Chinese renewable industries including the total installed capacity of wind and solar energy and their corresponding component manufacturing. Section 3 reviews the relevant strategies and laws on renewable development from the Chinese central government, and some selected demonstration projects are introduced in Section 4. Based on the current status of renewable development, Section 5 gives a brief overview of technical status of wind and PV power generation and analyzes the future trend in China. Section 6 concludes this article.

2.

FIGURE 1. Installed generation capacity in China 2014.

CURRENT STATUS OF CHINESE RENEWABLE INDUSTRY

China’s power system is tasked with providing sustainable electrical energy to nearly 1.3 billion people. During the past few years, the nation has scored remarkable achievements in renewable technology development [9]. As a series of good policies was put forward by Chinese government in late 2012


Jia et al.: Powering China’s Sustainable Development with Renewable Energies: Current Status and Future Trend

Year

Added installed capacity (GW)

Total installed capacity (GW)

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

0.042 0.066 0.098 0.197 0.507 1.288 3.311 6.154 13.803 18.929 17.630 12.960 16.0089

0.381 0.448 0.546 0.743 1.250 2.537 5.848 12.002 25.805 44.734 62.364 75.324 91.413

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FIGURE 2. Comparison of installed wind power capacity in China from 2001 to 2013.

TABLE 2. Added and total installed capacity of wind power in China from 2001 to 2013

and 2013, renewable industries in China were rapidly developed in 2013, especially PV power generation. Currently, more and more critical issues about shortage of traditional energies, environmental pollution, and climate change have attracted significant attentions around the world. China, as one of the largest electricity consumers, has been making ambitious efforts to develop renewable energies to alter the current energy structure.

2.1.

Wind Power

Wind power generation is the fastest-growing renewable technology in China in recent years [10]. Since 2012, China has been ranked in the first place in terms of the total installed capacity of wind power generation. As estimated by the National Energy Administration (NEA) [11], the total electricity generation from wind power in 2014 will reach 175 TWh. Table 2 and Figure 2 provide an overview of total installed wind capacity in China from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, the added installed capacity reached 16.0887 GW with a year-on-year growth rate of 24.1% recorded, and the total installed capacity is 91.41289 GW with year-on-year growth rate of 21.4% recorded [12]. Up to date, China has more than 50 domestic manufacturers of wind turbines and several joint venture producers. In 2013, the top 20 manufacturers of wind turbines in China dominated with their market share of nearly 96%, where GoldWind was ranked the first with the largest added installed capacity (i.e., 3750.25 MW). According to the Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA), the installed capacity of the top 20 wind turbine manufacturers in 2013 are presented in Table 3 and Figure 3.

Ranking 1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20

Manufacturer Goldwind Sinovel United Power Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd Mingyang Wind Power Vestas XEMC Shanghai Electric Gamesa eVision CSIC Haizhuang Wind Power Equipment Co., Ltd China Creative Wind Energy Windey GE CSR Suzlon Extech Sany XJ Windpower Technology Company Nordex

Installed capacity (MW)

Percentage

18950.6 15076 8798.5 7938

20.7 16.5 9.6 8.7

5542.5

6.1

4487.6 3746.5 3617.45

4.9 4.1 4.0

3535.85 2420.6 2061.45

3.9 2.6 2.3

2045.1

2.2

2001.25 1809.9 1645.75 901.3 874.18 598 580

2.2 2.0 1.8 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.6

574.2

0.6

TABLE 3. Top 20 wind turbine manufactures in China


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FIGURE 3. Pie chart of top wind turbine manufacturers in China (2013) in terms of total installed capacity.

From the end of 2013, China has managed to export wind turbines to 27 countries with a total capacity of 1392.5 MW. In 2013, the gross of wind turbine exports from the seven leading companies including GoldWind, Sinovel, and Mingyang Wind Power, etc. reached 692.35 MW, with a year-on-year growth of 60.8% recorded. Among those, GoldWind and Sinovel share the most exports with a total amount of 975 MW. Some statistics of wind turbine exports in 2013 is shown in Table 4. In 2013, all offshore wind power projects are conducted in the intertidal zone. As compared to previous years, the progress in 2013 of offshore wind turbine installation in China is sluggish. Only three companies namely Dongfang Turbine Co., Ltd, Evision, and United Power, conducted projects of offshore wind power in 2013. The added installed capacity was 39 MW with a year-on-year decline of 69% recorded. Figure 4 shows the development of offshore wind turbine installation in China from 2009 to 2013. 2.2.

Solar Power

After a period of low activity in 2012, the global PV manufacturing has picked up significantly. Due to the fast development of PV technology since 2012, the new addition of installed capacity of PV generation reached 39.5 GW in 2013 with a 23.4% growth compared to year 2012. Due to the new national policies, China has become a leading country in terms of solar cell production. With the technical advancement and cost reduction of PV technology, some major countries have cut subsidies recently. In 2014, the new policy in some European countries is to reduce the electricity price paid for PV generation. Hence, the new addition of installed capacity in Europe has gradually decreased in 2014. On the contrary, China continues to have a sustainable growth in terms of solar cell pro-

Rank

Manufacturer

1

Goldwind

2

Sinovel

3

Sany

4

Ruiqineng

5

Mingyang Wind Power eVision

6 7

Dongfang Electric Corporation

Importing country

Installed capacity (MW)

Australia Pakistan Panama Bolivia Romania Turkey Chile South Africa Sweden Turkey Italy Ethiopia United States Cyprus Thailand Iran India

165.5 49.5 55 3 50 5.25 33 54

Chile Denmark Finland

10.5 3.6 4.5

30 18 39 84 8 20 9 4 10.5

TABLE 4. Wind turbine exports of China in 2013

ductions and new addition of installed PV capacity [13]. The development of installed capacities of PV generation in China in recent years is shown in Figure 5, in which a remarkable growth from 2009 to 2014 is clearly reflected. Under the encouragement of favorable policies from the Chinese central government, the domestic PV market is being expanded rapidly. By the end of 2013, the total PV installed capacity in China had reached 19.42 GW, which comprises PV

FIGURE 4. Offshore wind turbine installations in China from 2009 to 2013.


Ranking


FIGURE 5. Installed capacity of PV generation in China from 2009 to 2014 (by the end of September 2014).

power stations of total 16.32 GW and distributed PV generation of 3.1 GW. The new additions of installed capacity in 2013 and 2014 (by the end of September) are 12.92 and 4 GW, respectively, which accounts for nearly one-third of the market share all over the world. In 2013, State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) schedules 16.04 GW out of all installed capacity of PV generation. Most of the large-scale grounded PV stations are located in the western regions of China where the solar energy is fairly abundant. Due to better grid access and local government supports, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hebei become the top three provinces with respect to the grid-integration of distributed PV generation. In order to encourage more distributed PV generations to connect to the grid, SGCC has put forward a series of favorable policies since 2013. However, wide spread use of grid-integration of distributed PV generation in China still remains challenging due to the relatively high cost. According to the report of IHS in “Q1 PV Integrated Market Tracker,” the PV enterprises in China have run ahead of the pack. Table 5 and Figure 6 show the global top 15 PV module manufacturers in 2013. Among the top 15 PV module manufacturers, there are eight companies for which their headquarters or manufacturing centers are located in China. In 2013, Yingli Green Energy ranked the first place with total shipments of 3.25 GW. Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, Sharp, and Jinko Solar are not far behind with total shipments of 2.6, 1.9, 1.9, and 1.65 GW, respectively. As is well known, China has become the center of PV module manufacturing in the world. Nevertheless, in considering the supply–demand relationship, the situation of over-supply is hardly alleviated in the short term. 3.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Manufacturer Yingli Green Energy Trina Solar Canadian Solar Sharp Jinko Solar First Solar ReneSola Kyocera JASolar Hanwha SolaOne Sun Power Suntech Solar Frontier REC Group Hanwha Q-cells

Location of headquarter or manufacturing center China China China China China United States China Japan China South Korea United States China Japan Norway South Korea

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Shipments (GW) 3.250 2.600 1.900 1.900 1.650 1.600 1.600 1.250 1.150 1.150 1.050 1.000 0.950 0.850 0.8

TABLE 5. Global top 15 PV module manufacturers in 2013

embedded power system. To mitigate the critical environmental situations and effectively reduce carbon emissions, some favorable policies and relevant laws have been put forward, which work as a powerful driver to further increase the energy efficiency and utilization of renewable generations. This section will focus on the planning strategies and relevant laws for wind, PV technology development, and the promotion of EVs in China. 3.1.

Development of Wind Power Generation

The main goal of wind power development in the 12th fiveyear period is to achieve large-scale utilization of wind power generation and so raise the corresponding proportion in the energy structure. According to the 12th Five-year Plan, it has been highlighted that wind power is considered as an essential renewable source in China to adjust the current energy

PLANNING STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES FOR RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA

China’s 12th Five-year (2011–2015) Plan has identified the objectives for research and development (R&D) of a renewable

FIGURE 6. Global top 15 PV module manufacturers in 2013.

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structure and contribute to mitigating pollution and climate change. From 2011 to 2015, two objectives are identified for wind power development:


(1) To 2015, the total installed capacity of wind turbines in operation is expected to reach 100 GW, with annual electricity generation of 190 TWh. Wind power generation would make up a share of over 3% in the total electricity generation. The installed capacities of those large wind power bases (i.e., Hebei, eastern Inner Mongolia, western Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Gansu Jiuquan, Xinjiang Hami, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Heilongjiang) would attain 79 GW. (2) The technologies for wind turbine design and manufacturing of essential components would have a breakthrough. To 2015, it is expected to construct an internationally competitive industrial system in China for offshore wind turbine manufacturing. Based on the 12th Five-year Plan for electric power sector, SGCC has identified the following strategic tasks: (1) Re-enhance the construction of large wind power bases; (2) Start up more projects to investigate wind resources in inland China. The potential areas include Shanxi, Liaoning, and Ningxia. Henan, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and other inland provinces are projected to build up small and mediumsize wind farms based on local conditions; (3) Strive to develop offshore wind power generation with a total installed capacity of over 5 GW by 2015; (4) Encourage the development of distributed wind power generation. Table 6 provides some selected favorable policies from the Chinese government in 2013 and 2014 to support the development of wind power generation [14]. 3.2.

Development of PV Generation

Clearly China has made major progress in the development of PV generation capability. However, PV still serves a small role in the current energy structure since the price remains uncompetitive in the electricity market [13]. At present, the main drivers for the demand of PV cells and modules come from the support of national policies and price subsidy. Along with the market continues to grow and the scale of the PV industry is rapidly expanded, the cost of PV generation is expected to decreased in the near future [15].

China’s 12th Five-Year Plan set the overall objective for the development of PV generation from 2011 to 2015. That is, continue to reduce the cost of PV generation through introducing market competition and large-scale productions. This can be specified into three detailed goals. (1) Achieve large-scale development of PV installations: To the end of 2015, the total installed capacity of PV generation is projected to reach 21 GW, by which an annual generation of 25 TWh would be achieved. In order to supply the local electricity demand, more PV power stations with total installed capacity of 10 GW are projected to be constructed in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia. (2) Improve the competitiveness of the PV industry: Make more efforts on the basic research of solar cells and other relevant components to significantly improve the photoelectric transformation efficiency; construct a comprehensive industrial system comprising material and equipment manufacturing, system integration and ancillary services. (3) Enhance the policy system and development strategy: By reforming the electric power structure and electricity pricing system, provide a favorable policy environment for the development of PV generation. To 2020, the total PV installed capacity is expected to reach 50 GW. At the current stage, some key tasks to achieve the above goals have been identified by SGCC and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) as follows. (1) Push forward the construction of PV stations: Take advantage of the abundant solar resources in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia to construct more local PV and wind-solar hybrid power stations. (2) Actively promote distributed PV generations: In the 12th five-year period, the total installed capacity for distributed PV generation is projected to reach 10 GW. The locations mainly include the central and eastern coastal regions in China. (3) Construct demonstration projects of renewable generations: Based on the local conditions, up to 30 renewable based demonstration projects have been put on the agenda. This can simultaneously mitigate the problem of insufficient electricity supply in the remote areas in Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Yunnan. (4) Construct a demonstrative city with renewable energy: Through the support of national policies, up to 100

Jia et al.: Powering China’s Sustainable Development with Renewable Energies: Current Status and Future Trend Published date

Title Notice of additional subsidy for renewable generation Notice from NEA regarding the third batch of wind power projects in 12th five-year period

26 Feb 2013 11 Mar 2013


Notice from NEA for enhancing the monitoring and estimation 23 May 2013 system of wind power industries

Notice from Ministry of Finance (MOF) for adjusting the surcharge in the electricity price of renewable generation

10 Sep 2013

Guidelines from NEA for renewable development in 2014

20 Jan 2014

Notice from NEA regarding the 4th batch of wind power 13 Feb 2014 projects in 12th five-year period Particular fund to support renewable development in Shanghai 21 Apr 2014

Guidelines from NEA for offshore wind farm development (2014–2016)

22 Aug 2014

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Policy target Wind power projects with total 18,918 MW are involved Four hundred ninety-one wind power projects (with total installed capacity of 27,970 MW) approved by NEA; four demonstration projects with total installed capacity of 750 MW are put on agenda To comprehensively review the current situation of wind power development, re-improve the industry’s core technologies, and encourage more grid integration of wind power From 25 September 2013, the surcharge in the electricity price of renewable generation is changed from 0.008 RMB/kWh to 0.015 RMB/kWh Explore the wind power resource in the mid-east and south regions of China, re-enhance the development of existing wind power bases, and develop offshore wind power generation A number of wind power projects (with total installed capacity of 27600 MW) are approved by NEA The government will support those projects carried out in Shanghai from 2013 to 2015 with no more than 50 million RMB to each one based on the individual contribution to the grid Forty-four offshore wind power projects (with total installed capacity of 10.27 GW) are approved

TABLE 6. Some favorable policies in 2013 and 2014 regarding wind power development

demonstration cities powered by renewable energies are being constructed. (5) Improve the key technologies for PV generation: Develop high-efficiency, low-cost solar cells, which can also adapt to different environmental conditions. (6) Construct a comprehensive industrial system for PV generation in China: Based on large-scale development of PV industry, the current industrial system that focuses on sales of essential components would evolve into a comprehensive one comprising project construction and life-cycle management. (7) Promote the development of PV manufacturing: Further expand the market of PV products in China, make a transition from the present situation of overreliance on exports to the one that well balances self-consumption and export. Year 2013 is widely considered as the “First Year of Chinese Policies on PV power generation” as a series of favorable policies were put forward to push the development of the PV industry. Table 7 summarizes some key policies from the Chinese government on PV power development in 2013 and 2014 [16].

3.3.

Development of EVs

EVs are considered as a significant way of reducing pollution and carbon emissions at the current stage of development in China. At present, China is facing several difficulties in promoting wide-use of EVs. For example, the core technology of EV is still uncompetitive and the investments from enterprises are inadequate. In general terms, due to the relatively weak technology and insufficient investments, there is still a long way to go regarding the development of EVs [17]. In considering the pressure of the environmental problems and traditional energy shortage, most countries make strict laws to control the carbon emissions and also encourage the development of low-carbon technologies. In China, according to the 12th Five-year Plan, the following objectives are identified for the development of EV from 2011 to 2015. 1. Upgrade and renovate the key technologies of EVs: To 2015, the development of overall technologies (including the performance of the complete EV and components) would have a breakthrough. More than 30 cities are projected to be EV demonstration sites. 2. Reform the industrial system of EV: In the 12th five-year period, the focus of EV development would be minia-

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Name of policy

Published date

Policy target

Planning principles for grid integration of distributed generations Working programs for distributed PV generation on demonstration sites Notice from The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of adjusting the price subsidy for renewable generations Standards for PV manufacturing

Mar 2013

Promote the development of distributed generations connecting to the grid This policy is published by NEA to promote the development of distributed PV generations. For distributed PV generation projects, the price subsidy is adjusted to 0.42 RMB/kWh


Notice from MOF of adjusting the value added tax for PV generation Notice from NEA regarding the first batch of demonstration cities powered by renewable energies

Jun 2013 Aug 2013

Sep 2013 Sep 2013 Jan 2014

This is issued by the Ministry of Information (MOI) to standardize PV manufacturing in China. This policy is published to encourage more PV generation A number of projects regarding demonstration cities are approved by NEA

TABLE 7. Some key policies in 2013 and 2014 regarding PV power development

turization of vehicles and hybrid power. Novel business models and energy supply systems would be built up to reform a new industrial system of EV in China. At the current stage, technical breakthroughs for hybridEVs are necessarily in need for a smooth transition to pure EVs. To 2015, it is projected to construct more than 4 million charging piles and 2000 charging stations in the demonstration cities to satisfy the large demand of electrical energy in the future. 4.

ON-GOING KEY PROJECTS

As introduced in Section 3, a number of demonstration projects (from 2011 to 2015) are being carried out with respect to wind and PV power generation. Most of them are implemented based on specific platforms of micro grid. In this section, three representative demonstration projects are introduced as follows. Zhuhai-Dong’ao Island Mega-Watts Level Intelligent Microgrid Demonstration Project [18]. This is the first island-based MW level intelligent micro grid system, which consists of wind and PV power, diesel oil, and energy storage. By virtue of the developmental conditions of Zhuhai-Dong’ao Island, solar, wind, new, and conventional diesel oil are combined as the energy resources in this project. It consists of PV generation of 1000 kW, wind power generation of 50 kW, and energy storage system with total capacity of 2000 kW. This micro grid is under multi-level intelligent control, where each level of the power system can bi-directionally transfer electric energy to the main grid. In this project, more than 70% of electricity is generated by renewable energies. In the off-season of tourism, thermal generation from diesel oil

is not necessarily in need. This project effectively resolves the problems of insufficient electricity supply and environmental pollution. The basic principle is maximizing the use of renewable generation and minimizing the proportion of thermal generation from diesel oil. Thus far, it has been reported that the annual reduction of CO2 , dust, and SO2 reach 1500, 408, and 45 tons, respectively. The cost of electricity consumption has decreased to 1.9 RMB/kWh. Nanji Island Microgrid Demonstration Project [19]. This project is being carried out by Zhejiang Electric Power Company, in which the objective is to construct an islandbased micro grid comprising renewable generation from wind, solar, and ocean energies, diesel oil based thermal generation, and energy storage. In this project, wind power generation is projected to be constructed with 1100 kW, PV generation of 100 kW and diesel oil based thermal generation of 1100 kW. It is worth mentioning that the energy storage system is integrated with charging stations for EVs, of which the total capacity is projected to attain 1500 kW. The batteries can not only provide electric energy to EVs, but also to the grid. This maximizes the use of extra renewable generation sources. This project takes advantage of wind, solar, and ocean tidal energies, which are free of gaseous, liquid, and solid pollutants. By introducing EVs as the energy storage system, pollution caused by exhaust gas from vehicles is effectively controlled. Zhengzhou Caishui School Microgrid Project [20]. This is the first demonstration microgrid project of SGCC in the context of smart grid. This microgrid is built up in a school which supplies more than 40 loads including canteens, student halls of residence, etc. This microgrid consists of PV generation system, energy storage system and microgrid control


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FIGURE 7. DFIG-based wind energy system.

center. The projected capacity for PV generation is 2000 kW. The energy storage system consists of two sets of lithium-ironphosphate batteries combined together, which connect to a bus of the distribution network at the voltage level of 380 V. This microgrid is designed to operate in grid-integration mode.

5.

CURRENT TECHNICAL STATUS OF RENEWABLE DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE TRENDS IN CHINA

5.1.

Wind Power Generation

Over the past few decades, remarkable progresses of power electronics technology development have been achieved (a comprehensive review for power electronics in wind turbine systems can be referred to [21, 22]), which allow wind turbine systems to be installed and operating at multi-MW level. In China, variable speed wind turbines with a partial-sale power converter (also known as doubly fed induction generators [DFIGs]) or direct-drive with a full-scale power converter (also known as permanent magnet synchronous generator [PMSG]) are mainstream types due to the advantages i.e., wide operating range in terms of wind speed and high efficiency of power extraction. The diagrammatic sketches of these two types of wind turbines are shown in Figures 7 and 8.

FIGURE 9. LVRT requirements according to Chinese grid code.

Based on the current status in China, the continuously increasing penetration of wind power generation has been having significant impacts on the power grid, this gives rise to new technical requirements for wind power integration to grid. According to Chinese grid code, wind turbines are required to uninterruptedly operate and connect to grid in the frequency range from 49.5 to 50.2 Hz. Meanwhile, wind power plants are required to provide sufficient reactive power to make power factor adjustable from –0.95 to 0.95 [23]. For the grid side, the wind turbine system should comply with the grid code to make contributions to frequency regulation (by active power response) and voltage stabilization (by flexible control of inductive or capacitive reactive power). As compared to some leading countries e.g., Denmark [24] and Germany [25], wind power plants in China at the current stage are less active in grid stability control. Therefore, further exploring the capability of wind power participating in system level control becomes a main trend which also stimulates continuous academic research in China. Chinese grid code requires grid-integration wind turbines to be equipped with specific techniques to ride through system faults, especially for unexpected low voltage occurring at point of common coupling (PCC). Figure 9 demonstrates the detailed requirements of low-voltage right ride-through (LVRT) for wind power plants in China. In the academic area, some new and promising control strategies have been proposed by Chinese researchers, e.g., [26, 27], which reveal high potential for practical applications in the future. 5.2.

FIGURE 8. PMSG-based wind energy system.

PV Generation

The main challenges existing today which preclude the largescale development of PV generation in China are high cost of manufacturing and low efficiency of PV energy conversion. In the current PV industry, two categories of PV modules, i.e., wafer based c-Si and thin films, are the most popular


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and dominate the market all over the world. Since siliconbased solar cell is less efficient in solar energy absorption, it has been estimated that nearly 95% cost on silicon is a waste. Thin film technology successfully decreases the material cost while the total solar cell efficiency is also guaranteed as c-Si based solar cells perform. Nevertheless, mass production of thin film solar cells is not yet a trend for PV manufacturers in China. Currently, silicon based solar cells can achieve the best conversion efficiency of 25%, which is yet good enough since more than two-thirds of solar energy loses. Exploring alternative materials (e.g., GaAs) with high efficiency has been a hot topic in research labs over the past few years. From the perspective of power grids, power electronics technology serves as a bridge connecting grid side and solar cells to fulfill all technical rules required by grid code. In [28], different configurations of converters and inverters utilized in PV generation systems are introduced. Besides those, Chinese manufacturers have been working on new PV generation framework with a micro-converter of hundred-watt level, which aims to increase the overall system efficiency. According to Chinese grid code [29], PV generation systems connected to the 10-kV public grid and high-voltage grids should control the real power output according to transmission system operators (TSOs) when grid frequency stays between 49.5 and 50.5 Hz. The real power output variation rate should not exceed 10% Pn /min, where Pn is the designated real power capacity of the generation system. The detailed frequency control strategy is to be discussed with, and agreed by, TSOs. Meanwhile, Chinese grid code also states that PV generation systems connected to a low-voltage network and 10-kV customer side are not required to regulate their real power output in normal operating conditions (i.e., 47.5 to 50.2 Hz). Immediate disconnection to the grid is allowed when power system frequency varies beyond nominal operation range. PV generation systems in China are also required to contribute to the voltage stability of the grid. In GB/T 19964-2012, reactive power requirements are divided into power inverter operation range and power generation system reactive power capacity, which are illustrated in Figure 10. Generally, the required displacement factor (cosφ) range of power inverter is wider than the range of generation system. This is due to the need to compensate the reactive power loss in generation system connection lines, transformer(s) and transmission lines. In case that the power inverter(s) cannot provide enough reactive power to meet reactive power requirements of the generation system, additional reactive compensation systems should be installed within generation system. As defined in the technical requirement, PV power inverters connected to high-voltage and public middle-voltage grids

FIGURE 10. Power inverter operation range (according to Chinese grid code GB/T 19964-2012).

should be able to operate within the following reactive power range. According to GB/T 19964-2012, fault ride through capability is required for PV generation systems connected to 10 kV or above power grid. Presently, only LVRT capability is required by GB/T 19964-2012 as follows: (1) when the PCC voltage drops to 0, PV generation systems have to maintain connected to the grid for at least 0.15 s; and (2) if the PCC voltage stays below the red line (shown in Figure 11), PV generation systems are allowed to disconnect immediately. Otherwise, no disconnection is permissible. Large-scale development of PV generation (especially in distribution grid) would be a future trend in China. This necessitates a number of challenges to be solved including finding out alternative materials for solar cell with high efficiency and low cost, advanced power electronics and control technologies to achieve high-energy conversion efficiency as well as fault

FIGURE 11. LVRT requirement for PV generation systems in China (according to GB/T 19964-2012).


riding through capability, which have been underway in both industrial and academic areas.


6.

CONCLUSIONS

Recently, China has been a leader in renewable development all over the world in terms of wind turbine installations and PV manufacturing. In order to reform the current energy structure, the Chinese central government has pushed forward a series of favorable policies and laws to standardize the current renewable industries, to improve production efficiency and encourage more renewable installations. In this article, the development status of renewable energies (i.e., wind and PV power) in China is comprehensively reviewed. Promoting EVs in China, as an effective way to reduce carbon emissions, is also introduced. This article also provides an outlook of Chinese renewable development, which indicates that China is moving at full capacity to achieve the goal of 15% non-fossil energy out of total national primary energy consumption by 2020. FUNDING This work was partially supported by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, China under Grant No. T23-407/13N and T23701/14N. REFERENCES [1] Liu, Z., Electric Power and Energy in China, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons, 2013. [2] National Energy Administration (NEA), “P.R.C.,” 2014, available at: http://www.nea.gov.cn/ [3] National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2014, available at: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ [4] Yuan, J., Shen, J., Pan, L., Zhao, C., and Kang, J. “Smart grids in China,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 37, pp. 896–906, 2014. [5] Xin-gang, Z., Tian-tian, F., Lu, C., and Xia, F. “The barriers and institutional arrangements of the implementation of renewable portfolio standard: A perspective of China,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 30, pp. 371–380, 2014. [6] Lo, K., and Wang, M. Y. “Energy conservation in China’s Twelfth Five-year Plan period: Continuation or paradigm shift?,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 18, pp. 499–507, 2013. [7] Hong, L., Zhou, N., Fridley, D., and Raczkowski, C. “Assessment of China’s renewable energy contribution during the 12th Five Year Plan,” Energy Policy, Vol. 62, pp. 1533–1543, 2013. [8] Xu, Z., Xue, Y., and Wong, K. P. “Recent advancements on smart grids in China,” Electr. Power Compon. Syst., Vol. 42, pp. 251–261, 2014. [9] Liu, W., Lund, H., Mathiesen, B. V., and Zhang, X. “Potential of renewable energy systems in China,” Appl. Energy, Vol. 88, pp. 518–525, 2011.

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[10] Xu, Z., Chi, Y., Li, Y., Shi, W., Wang, Z., and Wang, W., “Wind energy development in China (WED) – The Danish-Chinese collaboration project,” IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting (PES ‘09)., pp. 1–7, Calgary, AB, Canada, 26–30 July 2009. [11] National Energy Administration (NEA), 2014, available at: http://www.nea.gov.cn/n home/n main/dl/index.htm [12] Chinese Wind Energy Association, 2014, available at: http:// www.cwea.org.cn/ [13] Zhang, S., and He, Y. “Analysis on the development and policy of solar PV power in China,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 21, pp. 393–401, 2013. [14] Dai, Y., and Xue, L. “China’s policy initiatives for the development of wind energy technology,” Climate Policy, pp. 1–28, 2014. [15] Wang, Y., Zhou, S., and Huo, H. “Cost and CO2 reductions of solar photovoltaic power generation in China: Perspectives for 2020,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 39, pp. 370–380, 2014. [16] China Photovoltaic Industry Aliance, 2014, available at: www.chinapv.org.cn/ [17] Shen, W., Han, W., and Wallington, T. J. “Current and future greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation in China: Implications for electric vehicles,” Environ. Sci. Technol., Vol. 48, No. 12, 2014, pp. 7069–7075. [18] BIPV China, 2011, available at: http://www.bipvcn.org/ project/case-domestic/15839.html [19] 2014, available at: http://www.escn.com.cn/news/show180712.html [20] 2013, available at http://smartgrids.ofweek.com/2011-05/ART290008-8900-28467933 2.html [21] Blaabjerg, F., Liserre, M., and Ke, M. “Power electronics converters for wind turbine systems,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., Vol. 48, pp. 708–719, 2012. [22] Blaabjerg, F., and Ke, M. “Future on power electronics for wind turbine systems,” IEEE J. Emerging Sel. Top. Power Electron., Vol. 1, pp. 139–152, 2013. [23] China’s national standard: GB/T 19963—2011 Technical rule for connecting wind farm to power network. [24] Transmission System Operator of Denmark, “Technical regulation 3.2.5 for wind power plants with a power output greater than 11 kW. 55986/10,” Fredericia, Denmark, 2010. [25] Tenne T, “Requirements for offshore grid connections in the grid of TenneT TSO GmbH,”, Arnhem, Netherlands, 2012. [26] Dongliang, X., Zhao, X., Lihui, Y., Ostergaard, J., Yusheng, X., and Kit Po, W. “A comprehensive LVRT control strategy for DFIG wind turbines with enhanced reactive power support,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., Vol. 28, pp. 3302–3310, 2013. [27] Lihui, Y., Zhao, X., Ostergaard, J., Zhao Yang, D., and Kit Po, W. “Advanced control strategy of DFIG wind turbines for power system fault ride through,” IEEE Trans. Power Syst., Vol. 27, pp. 713–722, 2012. [28] Blaabjerg, F., Ke, M., and Yongheng, Y. “Power electronics—The key technology for renewable energy systems,” Ninth International Conference on Ecological Vehicles and Renewable Energies (EVER), pp. 1–11, Tehran, Iran, February 16–17 2014. [29] China’s national standard, GB/T 29319-2012, Technical rules for PV generation system connecting to power grid in China.

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BIOGRAPHIES


Youwei Jia received his Bachelors in Engineering from Sichuan University, China, in 2011. He is now pursuing his Ph.D. from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. He is also a visiting Ph.D. student at The University of Sydney, Australia. His research interests include power system security analysis, cascading failures, complex network, and artificial neural network application in power engineering. Yang Gao received his Bachelors in Engineering from Sichuan University, China, in 2011. He is now a research assistant in The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong. His research interests include power electronic converters, control of smart-grid, microgrid, and electrical energy conversion and storage. Zhao Xu received his Bachelors in Engineering, Masters in Engineering, and Ph.D. from Zhejiang University, China, in 1996, National University of Singapore, Singapore, in 2002, and The University of Queensland, Australia, in 2006, respectively. He is now with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He was previously an associate professor with Centre for Electric Power and Energy, Technical University of Denmark. He is currently an editor with IEEE Power Engineering Letter. He is also an editor of Electric Power Components and Systems. His research interest includes demand side, grid integration of renewable energies and EVs, electricity market planning and management, and AI applications in power engineering. Kit Po Wong obtained his M.Sc, Ph.D., and D.Eng. from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology, in 1972, 1974, and 2001, respectively. Professor Wong was with the University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia, from 1974 until 2004 and is now an adjunct professor there. Since 2002, he has been chair professor, and previously Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Professor Wong received 3 Sir John Madsen Medals (1981, 1982, and 1988) from the Institution of Engineers Australia, the 1999 Outstanding Engineer Award from IEEE Power Chapter Western Australia, and the 2000 IEEE Third Millennium Award. He was a co-technical chairman of IEEE Machine Learning and Cybernetics (ICMLC) 2004 Conference and General Chairman of IEEE/CSEE PowerCon2000. He is now Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Power Engineering Letters and was Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Proc. Generation, Transmission, & Distribution. He is also a fellow of IET, HKIE, and IEAust. His current research interests include

computation intelligence applications to power system analysis, planning and operations, as well as power market. Loi Lei Lai received the Bachelors in Science (first class honors) and Ph.D. from the University of Aston, Birmingham, U.K., in 1980 and 1984, respectively, and the D.Sc. from City University London (CUL), London, U.K., in 2005.He is now with State Grid Energy Research Institute, China. He published over 250 papers, and has published the book Intelligent System Applications in Power Engineering—Evolutionary Programming and Neural Networks. Professor Lai received the IEEE Third Millennium Medal and two Prize Paper Awards from the IEEE Power and Energy Society Power Generation and Energy Development Committee in 2006 and 2009. He is the vice president for membership and student activities of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. His current research interests in electric power engineering include intelligent systems, optimization, controls and automation. Yusheng Xue received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Liege (Belgium) in 1987. He became a member of Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995. He is now the honorary president of State Grid Electric Power Research Institute (SGEPRI), State Grid Corporation of China. His research interests include nonlinear stability, control and power system automation. Zhao Yang Dong obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, Australia in 1999. He is now head and chair professor with School of Electrical and Information Engineering, The University of Sydney, Australia. He previously held academic and industrial positions with The University of Newcastle, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Queensland, Australia, and Transend Networks, Australia. Professor Dong is an editor of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, and IEEE Power Engineering Letters. His research interests include smart grid, power system planning, power system security, load modeling, renewable energy systems, electricity market, and computational intelligence. David J. Hill currently holds the Chair of Electrical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. He is also a part-time professor at The University of Sydney, Australia. Professor Hill is a fellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, USA, the Australian Academy of Science, and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; he is also a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. His research interests are in control, networks, power systems, and stability analysis.