"Internet +" smart energy will usher in a pilot opportunity period

China Energy Storage Network: Since the end of last year, China has issued a series of policies to support the development of "Internet +" smart energy, covering multiple levels from macro policies to specific supporting measures. These policy measures have cleared the barriers to new energy access and vigorously promoted the development of "Internet +" smart energy. At the "2016 China Energy Internet Conference and Smart Energy Industry Expo" which just ended on August 12, industry insiders predicted that with the continuous increase in policy support, the development of distributed energy technology and the reduction in the cost of energy storage technology, the next stage will be an opportunity for China to carry out large-scale "Internet +" smart energy pilot projects.

Following the joint release of the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of "Internet +" Smart Energy" by three ministries in February this year, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Multi-energy Complementary Integrated Optimization Demonstration Projects" in July. In August, the National Energy Administration issued the "Notice on Organizing and Implementing the "Internet +" Smart Energy (Energy Internet) Demonstration Project", and the construction of the energy Internet continued to be promoted.

"Internet +" smart energy, or energy Internet, aims to improve the efficiency of production, service and consumption through energy optimization and complementary supply, thereby improving the overall energy efficiency of the whole society. In essence, it is an important breakthrough for the strategic transformation and upgrading of traditional basic industries to high-end structures.

At the "2016 China Energy Internet Conference and Smart Energy Industry Expo" which just ended on August 12, Liu Jianping, Director of the Planning Division of the Planning Department of the National Energy Administration, revealed that more than 500 multi-energy complementary integrated optimization demonstration project construction projects have been received from local governments. According to the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Multi-energy Complementary Integrated Optimization Demonstration Projects" issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, there are two main modes of multi-energy complementary integrated optimization demonstration projects: one is to meet the various energy needs of end users such as electricity, heat, cooling, and gas, and to develop and complement traditional energy and new energy in accordance with local conditions, optimize the layout and build an integrated integrated energy supply infrastructure, and realize multi-energy coordinated supply and comprehensive energy cascade utilization through natural gas heat, electricity, and cooling trigeneration, distributed renewable energy, and energy smart microgrids; the other is to use the resource combination advantages of wind energy, solar energy, hydropower, coal, and natural gas in large-scale comprehensive energy bases to promote the construction and operation of wind, solar energy, water, fire, and storage multi-energy complementary systems.

Building a multi-energy complementary integrated optimization demonstration project is one of the important tasks in building an "Internet +" smart energy system. Du Xiangwan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that the development trend of the energy Internet is "three transformations", namely electrification, low carbonization and intelligence. The approach is "two combinations", namely the combination of distributed and centralized, combining horizontal multi-energy complementarity and vertical energy "source, network, load, storage and use" optimization.

The future of "Internet +" smart energy will depend on two factors: one is policy factors including energy system reform and carbon market construction, and the other is the decline in energy storage technology costs and the development of distributed energy technology. "It can be said that in the next stage, it will be an opportunity for large-scale 'Internet + smart energy' pilot projects across the country, and countless industries are eager to try it out." At the above-mentioned Smart Energy Industry Expo, Miao Ren, an associate researcher at the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission, predicted that by 2030, the output value of "Internet +" smart energy is expected to reach 0.5%-1% of GDP.