Zeng Ming: Energy Internet promotes supply-side structural reform

China Energy Storage Network : In the past 2015, the energy and power industry has achieved major changes. The power system reform has set sail, the new energy industry has developed rapidly, the prevention and control of air pollution has been steadily promoted, and the construction of the energy Internet has taken shape... Looking forward to the future, Zeng Ming, professor of North China Electric Power University and director of the Energy and Power Economics Research and Consulting Center, said that the most important thing for China's energy sector in 2016 is to implement supply-side structural reform. The energy Internet can solve the horizontal multi-energy complementarity, realize the vertical power supply, power grid, and load coordination and optimization, and put the supply-side structural reform into practice.

Energy Internet takes shape

Reporter: 2015 is the final year of the 12th Five-Year Plan. This year, many major events occurred in the energy and power industry. Please talk about the achievements and highlights of the energy industry in 2015.

Zeng Ming: Last year, my country's energy and power industry had many highlights. I personally think the most important points are: first, the energy technology revolution has achieved remarkable results; second, the reform of the energy and power management system and operation mechanism has made outstanding achievements; third, the embryonic form of my country's energy Internet has taken shape.

In terms of energy technology revolution, my country's technology level in resource exploration and development, processing and conversion, power generation and transmission and distribution, new energy and other fields has been significantly improved last year. UHV technology continues to lead the world, and the independent development of major equipment has achieved brilliant achievements. In particular, the production capacity of electrical products such as power generation equipment has ranked first in the world, and a number of leading enterprises with high technology level and large production scale have been formed. The first independently developed third-generation pressurized water reactor nuclear power technology brand "Hualong One" started construction in Fuqing, Fujian.

There has also been significant progress in some devices, materials and systems for wind power and photovoltaic power generation.

In terms of management system and operation mechanism, in 2015, significant progress and achievements were made in the greater, more efficient and larger-scale use of clean energy; in the improvement of comprehensive energy efficiency of various energy uses, including electricity and other energy sources; and in market construction, including market transactions, fairness and openness.

At the same time, in 2015, my country's energy internet construction has basically taken shape. The guidance opinions on the development of energy internet led by the National Energy Administration will soon be released, proposing tasks, goals, policies, supporting facilities, pilot projects, etc., and arranging specific plans, which will be conducive to the comprehensive promotion of energy internet work in the next few years. Energy internet represents a revolution in energy technology and will also promote innovation in energy systems, mechanisms, and market models.

Solving energy problems requires advancing both technical and institutional aspects

Reporter: What are the current problems and shortcomings in the development of my country's energy and power industry? What opinions and suggestions do you have on the scientific development of the energy and power industry?

Zeng Ming: Although the energy and power industries have made great achievements, there are still obvious problems and shortcomings. The formulation of the 13th Five-Year Plan has begun. How can various energy sources be optimized during the 13th Five-Year Plan? How can clean energy be developed and utilized economically and sustainably? How can energy conservation and emission reduction measures be truly implemented? How can power and oil and gas reforms be continuously and healthily promoted to meet the expectations of all sectors of society? There are shortcomings in these aspects, and we need to make further efforts.

These issues are related to whether energy can achieve sustainable development, and the government needs to pay full attention to them. In fact, the energy revolution is also proposed in view of these problems in my country's energy sector. This is a major challenge facing my country. In the future, under the banner of the energy revolution, solving these problems must be carried out comprehensively in terms of technology and system.

To truly match supply and demand, an energy internet platform is needed to support it

Reporter: 2016 is the first year of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Please predict the development trend and prospects of my country's energy and power industry this year.

Zeng Ming: The most important thing for China's energy sector in 2016 is to implement supply-side structural reforms, just like other sectors.

Supply-side structural reform in the energy sector is very necessary, because in the past we have driven growth according to the market economy and demand. Now that we have entered a new normal of the economy, demand space is very limited, so how can the energy and power industry achieve healthy and scientific development? Structural reform is needed on the supply side. And supply-side reform is technically inseparable from the construction and implementation of the energy Internet.

One of the biggest difficulties in the structural reform of the energy supply side is how to effectively match supply and demand. This is the most important issue to consider in the supply-side reform. Of course, the supply-side reform and the demand-side reform need to be coordinated. It is impossible to carry out the supply-side reform without a response on the demand side. Therefore, the key is to make the supply and demand truly match, which requires the support of a technical platform or an energy Internet platform. Only with the energy Internet platform can the supply and demand sides be more effectively balanced.

Achieving an effective balance between supply and demand can solve the problem of overcapacity, so the technical platform for supply-side structural reform is the energy Internet. The energy Internet can solve the horizontal multi-energy complementarity and realize the coordinated optimization of the four links of power supply, power grid, load and energy storage. Only with such a horizontally complementary and vertically optimized system can the supply-side structural reform be truly implemented. Some related technologies of the energy Internet are very important. With these technologies, many problems existing in China's energy can be solved on the technical platform.

Of course, if we want to use this technology platform effectively, we cannot do without the support of systems, mechanisms and supporting policies. Therefore, energy Internet technology and systems, mechanisms and policies are the relationship between productivity and production relations. In the future, they must be a coordinated and interactive relationship and a process of moving forward together. This is very important for China's future energy supply-side reform, demand-side response and power market opening.