The electric power industry is an important basic industry that is related to the national economy and people’s livelihood, and is related to the overall economic and social development. It is the foundation of socialist modernization construction. The power industry is a leading industry in national industrialization. Only by first building power plants, substations, and erecting transmission lines can sufficient kinetic energy be provided for the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, and the continuous development of the national economy and society be achieved. With the improvement of China’s electrification level, both production and daily electricity consumption are constantly increasing. The power industry must provide strong driving support for the development of the national economy and the improvement of people’s living standards. Electric power construction projects require a long construction cycle from survey, planning, design, construction to production and operation, which determines that the power industry needs to develop moderately ahead of schedule and have a growth rate that is suitable for the development of the national economy. The historical experience and lessons learned from the development of the power industry in New China have proven that the moderate advancement and scientific and healthy development of the power industry are important guarantees for the high-quality development of the national economy.
Unified planning
The power industry needs to have a five-year, ten-year, fifteen year or longer development plan to correctly guide the development and construction of power sources and power grids, coordinate the relationship between the power industry and the national economy, and achieve collaborative cooperation between the power industry and the power equipment manufacturing industry. The construction of power engineering has a long cycle, requires a large amount of investment, and involves multiple objective conditions. It is absolutely not advisable to develop and construct in a piecemeal manner. The reasonable selection and layout of power supply points, the reasonable structure of the backbone grid, and the correct selection of voltage levels are the fundamental measures and prerequisites for the power industry to achieve the best economic benefits. The losses caused by planning errors are often irreparable long-term economic losses.
The power planning should first consider the distribution of primary energy such as coal and water power, as well as the constraints of transportation conditions and ecological environment, and also consider the new power demand and location changes with the development of national economy and the improvement of people’s living standards; The reasonable plant location, layout, scale and unit capacity of power supply projects such as hydropower stations, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, wind farms and photovoltaic power plants should be considered, as well as the backbone grid and regional distribution networks built by different voltage levels and the interconnection lines with adjacent grids, and the power grid should also have large anti-interference capacity and reserve capacity, so as to achieve safe and stable operation of the power grid, Improve power supply reliability and ensure power supply quality. Whether in the period of planned economy or socialist market economy, a comprehensive, complete and unified power plan or plan is needed to guide and guide the healthy development of the power industry.
Safety first
Safety first is a principle that must be followed in various production activities. The power industry has continuous production, instantaneous balance, foundational and systematic characteristics. Electricity is a special commodity with a continuous production process. Overall, the production, transmission, sales, and use of electricity are completed at the same moment and must maintain a basic balance. Electricity is generally not easy to store, and existing energy storage facilities are only suitable for regulating peak loads in the power grid and serving as emergency backup. Modern industry is mostly continuous production and cannot be interrupted. The power industry must continuously provide sufficient electricity according to the requirements of various users. Any small power accident may develop into a large-scale power outage, causing serious losses to economic construction and people’s lives. Major power safety accidents not only reduce the production of electricity or damage power equipment by power enterprises, but also threaten the safety of people’s lives and property, disrupt the stability of the power system, cause huge economic losses to the entire society, and may even be irreparable losses. These characteristics determine that the power industry must implement the policy of safety first, establish a safe and economical power system, and provide reliable and high-quality power services to users.
The power structure should be based on China’s resource endowment
China has abundant coal resources, and coal-fired power units have always been the main force of the power industry. Thermal power generation has the advantages of short construction cycle and low cost, which can ensure the necessary power supply for national economic development with less funds.
Based on the national conditions to achieve the “dual carbon” goal, we should actively research and develop the application of clean coal power generation technology, strive to reduce pollutant emissions, build a clean and efficient coal power system, promote the optimized combination of coal and new energy, increase new energy consumption capacity, and gradually complete the green transformation. China has abundant hydropower reserves, and hydropower has many advantages. It is a clean and renewable energy source, and once built, it will benefit for a century. But most of China’s abundant hydropower resources are concentrated in the southwest region; Large hydropower stations require large investment and long construction periods, requiring long-distance transmission; Due to the influence of dry and wet seasons, as well as dry and wet years, it is difficult to balance the power generation across months, quarters, and years. We need to comprehensively consider the development of hydropower from a global perspective.
Nuclear power is a clean energy source that can replace fossil fuels on a large scale. Some industrialized countries around the world consider the development of nuclear power as an important policy for energy development. Nuclear power is technically mature and safe in production. Although nuclear power has a high cost, the cost of power generation is generally lower than thermal power. China has both nuclear resources and the basic and technical strength of the nuclear industry. Active, safe and orderly development of nuclear power is an important means to achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Wind and solar energy are clean and renewable energy sources, shoulder the important task of improving energy structure, ensuring energy security, promoting ecological civilization construction, and achieving the “dual carbon” goal. Entering a new era, China’s wind power and photovoltaic installed capacity has grown rapidly, reaching 328 million kilowatts and 306 million kilowatts respectively by the end of 2021. However, wind farms and photovoltaic power stations occupy a large area and are greatly affected by geographical and meteorological factors. The electricity generated has characteristics such as volatility, intermittency, low energy density, low conversion efficiency, unstable quality, and uncontrollable electricity. It is advisable to cooperate with conventional power sources.
National networking and unified scheduling
The characteristics of electricity determine that power generation, transmission and transformation, and power supply units must be connected in the form of a power grid in order to develop and achieve maximum economic benefits. There are already many joint power grids composed of several countries that cross national borders in the world, and China must also follow the path of national networking and building a unified power system. Adhering to a nationwide network and a centralized and unified pipeline network is the fundamental guarantee for ensuring the safe, rapid and healthy development of the power industry. China’s coal is concentrated in the west and north, and its hydropower resources are concentrated in the southwest, while the power load is mainly in the southeast coastal areas. The uneven distribution of primary energy and power load determines that China will implement the policy of “power transmission from west to east, power transmission from north to south”. The large power grid can be uniformly planned and reasonably arranged to avoid the situation of “large and comprehensive” and “small and comprehensive” power construction; Large capacity and high parameter units can be used, which has the advantages of low unit investment, high efficiency, and short construction period. The socialist system with Chinese characteristics determines that the power grid should be centrally managed by the state.
To avoid local accidents leading to major accidents, large-scale power outages, and even the collapse of the power grid, it is necessary to manage the dispatch of the power grid well, in order to maximize the economic and social benefits of the large power grid and even the entire power system. To achieve unified dispatch, it is necessary to have a company that manages and dispatches the power grid in a unified manner. Most countries in the world have unified power grid companies or power companies. Achieving unified scheduling relies on legal systems, economic measures, and necessary administrative means. Dispatching orders, such as military orders, must be subordinate to the first level, and the parts must be subordinate to the whole, and cannot be followed blindly. The scheduling should be fair, just, and open, and the scheduling curve should be treated equally. Power grid dispatch should ensure the safe and stable operation of the power grid, and emphasize economic principles. Implementing economic dispatch is an important measure to improve economic efficiency in the power industry.
Survey, design, and equipment manufacturing are the foundation
Survey and design work is the various tasks that are carried out from the preparation and proposal of power construction projects to the commencement of construction. It involves multiple links, a wide range of aspects, a large workload, and a long cycle. The survey and design work time of some major power construction projects is even longer than the actual construction time, such as the Three Gorges Project. The survey and design work has a significant and far-reaching impact on the overall situation of power construction. Thoroughly and meticulously carrying out these tasks can determine power construction projects based on thorough investigation, research, and careful analysis and argumentation, thus achieving the construction goals of advanced technology, reasonable economy, and significant investment effects.
Power equipment is the foundation of the development of the power industry, and the progress of power technology largely depends on the progress of power equipment manufacturing technology. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the power equipment manufacturing industry in New China has grown from small to large, from weak to strong, and from backward to advanced, forming an industrial system with complete categories, grand scale, and internationally advanced technological level. It firmly holds the important tools of a major country in its own hands, and supports the high-quality development of the power industry with the research and development and manufacturing of power equipment.
Relying on technological innovation
Innovation driven is the primary driving force for China’s economic development, and innovation is at the core of China’s modernization construction. The power industry must also lead development with innovation. It is precisely because of technological innovation that the development of the power industry is supported. To achieve high-quality development of the power industry, it is necessary to take enterprises as the main body of innovation, follow the path of technological innovation that combines industry, academia, and research, promote high-level technological self-reliance and self-reliance, strive to master key core technologies, actively enhance independent innovation capabilities, form a complete independent research and development, design, and manufacturing technology system, enhance the competitiveness of the entire power industry chain, and rely on innovation to build a new type of power system. Starting from the introduction, digestion, and absorption of advanced foreign technologies, the power technology of New China has embarked on a path of progress that relies on its own talents to achieve independent development and innovation. It has solved one “bottleneck” problem after another and provided strong technical support for the development of the power industry. Entering a new era, in order to promote China’s progress towards becoming an energy powerhouse, power technology personnel should strive to develop and master key core technologies, improve their independent innovation capabilities and core competitiveness, and strive to seize the commanding heights of world power technology.
Coordinate with resources and environment
The power industry needs to achieve healthy and sustainable development, which is constrained by natural resources and the ecological environment and cannot exceed their capacity. It is necessary to develop the power industry under the conditions of reasonable development of natural resources and protection of the ecological environment, and meet reasonable electricity demand in a clean, green, and low-carbon manner. The ecological environment protection of the power industry should implement more stringent requirements, accelerate the promotion and application of advanced environmental protection technologies, achieve green development, and achieve the goal of carbon peak carbon neutrality. Fossil resources are not inexhaustible. The development of thermal power requires the rational development and full utilization of coal, oil, natural gas, etc., and the comprehensive utilization of “wastewater, exhaust gas, and waste residue” to achieve the goal of both improving economic benefits and protecting the ecological environment. Hydropower is a clean and renewable energy source, but it can also have some adverse effects on the ecological environment. After the formation of a reservoir, it can cause changes in natural river channels, hinder navigation due to sediment deposition in the river channels, and cause geological disasters. All of these need to be addressed when developing hydropower resources, in order to not only develop hydropower resources but also protect the ecological environment.
The power system is a whole
The power system is a whole, with closely linked links such as power generation, transmission, transformation, distribution, and consumption, possessing network, security, and instantaneous balance. It is necessary to view the power system from a global perspective, taking into account various factors such as development speed, serving users, safety production, basic construction of power supply and power grid, survey and design, equipment manufacturing, resource environment, technology, etc., in order to achieve sustained, stable and coordinated development of the power industry. To build an efficient, safe, flexible, and open power system and achieve optimal allocation of resources nationwide, it is necessary to ensure the safe and stable operation of the power system, overall controllable safety risks, maintain flexible and efficient regulation, and ensure power supply reliability and power quality.
In the power system, the power grid connects power plants, energy storage facilities, and users, which is the most critical link. To build a strong power system, it is necessary to create a power grid with a strong structure, safety and reliability, advanced technology, economic efficiency, reasonable trend, flexible scheduling, coordinated development, and clean environmental protection, in order to achieve “West East Power Transmission, North South Power Transmission, and National Networking”. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to correctly handle the proportional relationship within the power industry. This includes correctly handling the relationship between production operation and basic construction, correctly handling the proportion relationship between hydropower and thermal power, correctly handling the proportion relationship between local power sources and external power sources, correctly handling the relationship between wind, light, nuclear, and conventional power projects, and correctly handling the proportion relationship between power generation, transmission and transformation, distribution, and consumption. Only by properly handling these relationships can we achieve balanced development of the power system, avoid power shortages in individual regions, and provide safe and strong driving support for national economic and social development.
Understanding and exploring the development laws of China’s power industry is aimed at accelerating, improving, and smoothing the high-quality development path of China’s power industry. Respecting objective laws and developing the power industry according to them can further deepen the reform of the power system, solve prominent contradictions and deep-seated problems that hinder the scientific development of the power industry, accelerate the construction of a unified national power market system, achieve greater sharing and optimization of power resources, enhance the stability and flexible regulation ability of the power system, and build a clean, low-carbon, safe, controllable, flexible, and efficient power system Building a solid foundation for a new type of intelligent, friendly, open and interactive power system.
Post time: May-29-2023
