Energy momentum: how to achieve carbon neutralization in the power industry?

Recently, there have been rainstorms all over the country 、 The high temperature 、 hail 、 Floods and other abnormal weather frequently occur in different regions . Lengthen the timeline to see , near 20 year , global warming 、 Glaciers melt 、 Climate change caused by greenhouse effect such as sea level rise is seriously affecting our living environment . As countries around the world pay more attention to global climate change , Carbon reaches its peak 、 A series of carbon emission plans such as carbon neutralization are gradually implemented .

data display , In China's carbon emissions , Energy combustion is the main source of carbon dioxide emissions in China , Accounting for... Of all carbon dioxide emissions 88% about . The purpose of energy combustion is mainly to generate electricity , data display ,2019 Annual power carbon emissions 42.27 One hundred million tons of , Of the total emissions of the whole society 43%. Decarbonization of energy system is the key to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality , Decarbonization in the power industry is the top priority .

So here comes the question ： What are the ways for the power industry to help achieve carbon neutrality ？ How does the digital transformation of the power industry support the carbon neutral transformation of the energy system ？

The road to decarbonization

In daily life , There are ubiquitous power plugs , Plug in the power cord and toggle the switch , Air conditioner 、 The refrigerator 、 Computers and other electrical appliances began to work ; In the factory , Automatic machine operation is also inseparable from the support of electricity , Behind the little switch , It is a huge, precise and complex power system .

The power system behind the power industry , Electricity generated by 、 Power transformation 、 Electricity transmission 、 Electric energy production and consumption system composed of power distribution and consumption . The road of decarbonization in the power industry mainly revolves around these key links .

1. In power generation , Thermal power generation is the main source of electricity . According to the National Bureau of Statistics , The amount of thermal power mainly generated by coal , The proportion in the national power generation is 71.19%. The second is hydropower , Proportion to 16.37%, Then there is wind power 、 nuclear energy . Finally, solar power , The specific gravity is only 1.92%. In the thermal power industry in stock , Use all kinds of clean coal technology to transform the combustion efficiency of thermal power generation and reduce carbon emissions , For example, using AI Offline reinforcement learning technology , Optimize the combustion system of thermal power plant with data drive , adopt AI Technology optimizes the combustion process control of thermal power generating units and improves the combustion efficiency of units .

In addition to thermal power energy supply , Wind power 、 The scale of photovoltaic power generation is increasing . Southwest China is rich in water resources , The construction of large hydropower bases is advancing in an orderly manner . In the northwest, wind power is used 、 Mainly photovoltaic power generation . Such as photovoltaic power generation , Data from the National Energy Administration show , By 2021 year , The cumulative installed capacity of PV in China has reached 305.99GW, Year-on-year growth 21.86%, Solar power generation accounts for 12.90%,2021 In, the newly increased PV installed capacity in China 54.88GW,2016-2021 During the year , The compound annual growth rate of domestic photovoltaic installed capacity is 32.31%, It is growing rapidly .

2. In the power transformation link , Substation is known as the nerve center of power system , Starting transformation 、 Distribute 、 control 、 Monitor electric energy and other functions . The substation will also consume electric energy in the working phase , It is estimated that , The total loss of transformers in China accounts for 10% about . This part of carbon emissions can not be ignored . Some intelligent devices will be embedded in the substation to sense the running state of the control equipment , Scientifically optimize operation strategy , Improve the overall energy efficiency level of the substation , Promote energy conservation and emission reduction .

3. In power transmission, distribution and other links , Power grid dependent dispatching system , Keep the system balance between power generation and load . Through the construction of advanced intelligent distribution network , Improve the ability to optimize the allocation of resources . Smart grid has been promoted for nearly a decade , The automation level of all links has occupied the forefront , Digital and intelligent technology and measures are being promoted , In order to promote the efficient coordination of source network loads and improve the system regulation ability , Improve the response level of power demand side .

Of course , In addition to these paths, there are supplementary measures , For example, solve the intermittent problem in the process of grid connection 、 Measures for safety hazards with large fluctuations , Including all kinds of Physics 、 Chemical energy storage , Such as pumped storage 、 Compressed air 、 Battery energy storage and other energy storage technologies , To solve the dilemma of grid connected use of clean energy , Promote the wide application of low-carbon clean power generation technology and the iterative upgrading of Smart Grid Technology .

Digital technology is on the road of decarbonization in the power industry , Combined with traditional power electronics technology , Through intelligent coordination or optimization of all links , Accelerate the realization of carbon neutrality by driving the carbon emission path of the power industry . Digital transformation of power industry , Typical applications are in new power systems .

Obstacles to digital transformation

Readers who have known the power system industry may know , The production mode adopted by the traditional power system is “ The source moves with the load ”. What does that mean ？ The traditional power system can adjust the power generation according to the load on the power side , Use controllable power generation system to match the power consumption system with small fluctuation range , Rolling adjustment during operation , So as to realize the safe and reliable operation of the power system .

As the scale of renewable clean energy increases , New energy power is incorporated into the large power grid , Will change this pattern . wind 、 New energy sources such as solar energy are vulnerable to climate , The production of electricity has randomness and volatility , And the power generation and load in the power grid should always maintain power balance , This also poses a challenge to the security and stability of the power grid . The R & D and wide application of large-scale energy storage technology is the guarantee to improve the intermittency and volatility of renewable energy power generation , It can significantly improve the wind 、 The consumption level of renewable energy such as light , It is the key to promote the transformation of energy structure .

Whether it is to meet the requirements of large-scale and high-proportion grid connection or consumption of new energy , Or support the widespread access of distributed energy facilities such as energy storage , All need digital technology to empower the power grid , To promote the coordination and interaction of source network load and storage , Promote the new power grid to be more intelligent 、 More ubiquitous energy Internet upgrade .

Digital transformation of new power system and power grid , Need cloud computing 、 big data 、 The Internet of things 、 Artificial intelligence and other new generation digital technologies have digitally transformed the traditional power grid , Support the green economic transformation of the power system . However, digital technology is in the process of enabling the smart green transformation of the power grid , There are many obstacles .

At this stage, the power industry has a high degree of Automation 、 The basic information system is complete , Therefore, power enterprises in the digital transformation , Pay more attention to the Internet of things 、 big data 、 The application of new technologies such as artificial intelligence . The establishment of intelligent system model for data-driven decision-making in power grid by new technology is not mature ; In the grid connection of new energy power , The power generation power prediction of the power grid driven by digital technology is not accurate , The regulation ability of the voltage and current of the power grid is limited , The stability and safety of the system cannot be fully guaranteed , It is difficult to control the power grid , The situation of power abandonment remains high .

meanwhile , The data associated with power grid equipment enabled by digital technology is huge , A large number of production and operation data and information are fragmented , There is no unified management platform to better integrate all kinds of information , All kinds of information are in an island state on their respective platforms , Unable to play the synergy of data . And these data are related to the sensitive data of people and resources , It also puts forward higher requirements for network security , Building a safe data protection system has also become a test .

The digital green transformation of power grid is in the initial stage of development , These problems and challenges require the iterative running in of time and Technology , The road of carbon neutralization in the power industry , It is a key part of the structural adjustment of the energy system , This is a complex system problem , It will not be easy to achieve overnight .

Irreversible trend and breakthrough

The digital transformation of the power industry is also aimed at the core pain point in the green reform of the power grid system , In the power industry , In addition to digital technology in various key links of the power grid system , There are also integrated forms such as industrial Internet platforms to improve data collection 、 analysis 、 And applications .

At present, power equipment manufacturers 、 big data AI Technical service providers cooperate with power enterprises , Access the source through the technical platform 、 network 、 Load real-time data , utilize AI、 The Internet of things 、 Big data analysis modeling , Carry out system scheduling 、 Control services . On the one hand, by supporting new energy, realize unattended 、 Few people are on duty 、 Regional maintenance mode, etc. to improve the efficiency of operation , On the other hand, it is to improve the new energy power grid connection efficiency and overall power consumption efficiency of the power grid system itself , Reduce energy consumption , Support the optimal allocation of energy resources in the power grid , Promote green production and consumption of energy , Final support “ Double carbon ” Achieve the goal .

The carbon neutralization of power enterprises is a complex system engineering , There are many links involved , Green reform of power grid system 、 Operation control 、 Security protection has become more complex , With the orderly withdrawal of conventional thermal power units and the grid connection of large-scale new energy sources , Investment in power electronic technology and equipment , Bring greater volatility to the whole power grid system , Although the reform is difficult , But the trend of carbon neutralization in power grid system is irreversible .

Although clean energy will bring challenges , But the developing hydrogen energy 、 Energy storage 、 Controllable nuclear fusion and other new technologies may achieve technological breakthroughs , And reach the degree of commercialization , It will also bring breakthroughs to the transformation of power structure . We are in all kinds of news , Always see in new energy vehicles , Charge the battery quickly 、 The news of repeated breakthroughs in energy storage batteries , Innovation of lithium battery technology , Bring disruptive innovation to the power system , To a large extent, it will solve the challenges brought by the ultra-high proportion of new energy access to the power system . However, energy storage technology still needs a long way to go from laboratory to commercial , This uncertainty , Bring space for the development of other technologies .

Whether it's hydrogen energy 、 Energy storage 、 Or controllable nuclear fusion and other technologies , For the time being, the problem of power grid system cannot be completely solved , It is still in the initial stage of exploration and development , There are many twists and turns . But in the long run , The goal of carbon neutrality requires the power system to evolve into “ Zero carbon power system ”, The balance of power grid needs the help of digital technology 、 Breakthroughs in emerging technologies , Structural deepening and Reform , It also breeds a new round of scientific and technological innovation and opportunities .

It doesn't just mean stepping on the east wind of development , It also enables technology service providers to seize the highland of digital technology , Improve competitiveness . If the digital capabilities in these complex systems are radiated to other changes in similar scenarios , It will also bring efficiency improvement to more industries , On the way to carbon neutrality , Expand to a broader industry , Create greater social value .