Liu Zhenya: Provide electricity to 1.2 billion people without electricity worldwide

China Energy Storage Network News: On May 14, at the "Accelerating Infrastructure Connectivity" parallel theme meeting of the "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum, Liu Zhenya, Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization, said that the conditions for building a global energy internet are ripe. "By ensuring energy supply, the 1.2 billion people without electricity in the world will eventually have access to electricity and be able to afford it," Liu Zhenya said.

Liu Zhenya explained the "Global Energy Internet", saying that its essence is "smart grid + ultra-high voltage grid + clean energy", and it is the basic platform for the large-scale development, transmission and use of clean energy on a global scale.

On the 13th, UN Deputy Secretary-General Wu Hongbo (front row, left) and Chairman of the Global Energy Internet Cooperation Organization Liu Zhenya (front row, right) attended the signing ceremony.

Liu Zhenya, Chairman of the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, said that the conditions for building a global energy interconnection are ripe.

The development of the world is accompanied by a series of problems such as energy shortage, environmental pollution, and climate change. Liu Zhenya believes that to solve the above problems, it is necessary to "implement clean substitution and electric energy substitution, improve the level of electrification, and return fossil energy to its raw material properties."

In March 2016, the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization was established in Beijing.

On May 13 this year, the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization signed a cooperation agreement with five international organizations including the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the African Union, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council in Beijing to deepen pragmatic cooperation in areas such as interconnected power grid planning and jointly promote the development of the global energy internet and the construction of the "Belt and Road".

Regarding the construction of the global energy Internet, Liu Zhenya said that ultra-high voltage technology is mature.

"The ±1100 kV UHV DC transmission distance is more than 6,000 kilometers and the transmission capacity is 15 million kilowatts, which can achieve efficient global allocation of electricity."

In fact, the prototype of China's energy Internet, which is "transmitting electricity from west to east, supplying electricity from north to south, mutual assistance between water and fire, and complementarity between wind and solar power", has been formed.

"It is expected that by 2025, the competitiveness of wind power and photovoltaic power generation will surpass fossil energy in all aspects." Liu Zhenya is very optimistic about the future of clean energy. Liu Zhenya "calculated" at the meeting: if the development of clean energy is accelerated at an average annual growth rate of about 12%, by 2050, clean energy will account for more than 80% of the world's total energy consumption.

He said that by then carbon dioxide emissions will be only half of that in 1990, and the goal of keeping global temperature rise within 2°C can be achieved.

In addition to its contribution to the environment, Liu Zhenya said that the total investment in the global energy internet exceeds 50 trillion US dollars, which can drive economic growth.

Advantages

China has a first-mover advantage in UHV power grid

China is the world's second largest economy and a major energy consumer. In 2015, the total electricity consumption was 5.6 trillion kWh, and it is expected to increase to 8 trillion and 16 trillion kWh in 2020 and 2050 respectively.

According to public data, more than 80% of China's coal, hydropower, wind and solar energy resources are distributed in the western and northern regions, and more than 70% of electricity consumption is concentrated in the eastern and central regions.

As a key technology for building a global energy Internet, ultra-high voltage power grid has huge economic, environmental and social value.

In terms of economy, electricity from energy bases in western and northern China is transmitted to eastern and central China via UHV, and the electricity price is 5-8 cents/kWh lower than the local thermal power grid price, benefiting both the sending and receiving provinces. At the same time, the development of UHV power grid has a strong economic driving effect, which is conducive to promoting the innovative development of the power industry.

环保方面，构建特高压电网，能够使中国西部北部丰富的清洁能源得到开发利用，显著提高清洁能源比重，大幅减少化石能源开发利用对生态环境的污染和破坏。

China has a first-mover advantage in ultra-high voltage power grid, a key technology in building a global energy internet, and this advantage can also become a platform for Chinese technology to "go global".

The Beijing News reporter learned that the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization was established in March 2016. As the first international energy organization, its purpose is to promote the construction of a global energy internet, meet global electricity demand in a clean and green way, and serve the sustainable development of human society. Since its establishment, it has 305 member units from 32 countries and regions.

Among them, although the countries along the Belt and Road in the Middle East and Africa have a strong demand for energy interconnection, their energy systems are relatively weak and the construction of relevant standard systems lags behind. Industry insiders believe that international energy cooperation involves multiple levels such as policies, trade, resources, capital, infrastructure, and technical standards.

Wan Haibin, deputy director of the Development Bureau of the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization, said that the development of the global energy internet requires the establishment of an international standard system that can guide the future direction and drive industrial development. He suggested incorporating key projects into relevant national plans, and at the same time coordinate relevant domestic technical committees such as smart grids, ultra-high voltage and clean energy to achieve coordinated development of international and national standards, and promote key projects and technical standards to "go global" to countries and regions where conditions are ripe.

prospect

By 2050, the global energy internet will be basically built

The construction of the global energy internet is generally divided into three stages: domestic interconnection, intra-continental interconnection, and intercontinental interconnection.

The Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization told the Beijing News that the construction of the global energy internet is mainly divided into three steps: from now to 2020, the focus will be on accelerating the development of clean energy in various countries and the construction of domestic power grid interconnections; by 2030, the focus will be on promoting the development of large-scale clean energy bases within continents and cross-border power grid interconnections; by 2050, the focus will be on developing the "one pole and one channel" (the Arctic and the equator) energy bases and promoting cross-continental power grid interconnections, and basically building a global energy internet.

According to the above plan, the current development focus of the global energy internet is the first step of "domestic interconnection" construction, and China is at the forefront of this project. It is understood that China has built 13 UHV projects of "six AC and seven DC", and is building 9 UHV projects of "two AC and seven DC", with an annual power transmission of more than 400 billion kWh.

Regarding the second phase of "intra-continental interconnection", Wang Yimin, Secretary-General of the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization, said that the interconnection project with the power grids of neighboring countries is the area with the best conditions for achieving breakthroughs in the construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, and that there is currently good experience and project foundation.

It is understood that the State Grid Corporation of China, the initiator of the Global Energy Interconnection Development Cooperation Organization, has built and operated 10 cross-border transmission lines between China and Russia, China and Mongolia, and China and Kyrgyzstan, with a trading volume of more than 20 billion kWh. In the southwest region, the Southern Power Grid has also built 12 AC cross-border interconnection lines connected to Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Since the first line was opened in 2004, it has exchanged more than 47 billion kWh of electricity with neighboring countries. (Luo Yidan Zhang Fan)

Original title: Liu Zhenya: Provide electricity to 1.2 billion people without electricity in the world