National Energy Administration: New energy storage has been put into operation with an installed capacity of over 35 million kilowatts

On April 29, the National Energy Administration held a press conference to release the first quarter's energy situation and renewable energy grid-connected operation status, introduce the "three actions" for new energy storage development and grid security, and answer questions from reporters.

Bian Guangqi, deputy director of the Department of Energy Conservation and Science and Technology Equipment, said that the "development of new energy storage" was first proposed in the 2024 Government Work Report. The National Energy Administration attaches great importance to the development of new energy storage, and promotes the diversified and high-quality development of new energy storage by promoting technological innovation pilot demonstrations and strengthening the dispatch and use of new energy storage.

First, new energy storage continues to develop rapidly, with more than 35 million kilowatts of installed capacity put into operation. As of the end of the first quarter of 2024, the cumulative installed capacity of new energy storage projects that have been completed and put into operation nationwide has reached 35.3 million kilowatts/77.68 million kWh, an increase of more than 12% from the end of 2023 and more than 210% from the end of the first quarter of 2023. Among the projects put into operation, in terms of installed capacity, new energy storage power stations are gradually showing a centralized and large-scale trend. The installed capacity of projects with less than 10,000 kilowatts accounts for 6.7% of the total installed capacity, the installed capacity of projects with 10,000-100,000 kilowatts accounts for 38.5%, and the installed capacity of projects with more than 100,000 kilowatts accounts for 54.8%. In terms of energy storage duration, the average energy storage duration of new energy storage projects across the country is 2.2 hours, and the installed capacity of projects with less than 2 hours of energy storage accounts for 12.9% of the total installed capacity, the installed capacity of projects with 2-4 hours accounts for 74.6%, and the installed capacity of projects with more than 4 hours accounts for 12.5%. From the perspective of regional distribution, the Northwest region is rich in wind and solar resources and has become the fastest-growing region in the country in terms of new energy storage development. The Northwest region has put into operation 10.3 million kilowatts of new energy storage capacity, accounting for 29.2% of the country, followed by 25.3% in North China, 17.5% in Central China, 15.2% in the South, 12.3% in East China, and 0.5% in Northeast China.

Second, technological innovation has made continuous breakthroughs, and new energy storage pilot demonstrations have begun to show results. At the beginning of 2024, the National Energy Administration officially released a list of 56 new energy storage pilot demonstration projects in the form of an announcement, covering the main technical routes of current engineering applications, including 17 lithium-ion batteries, 11 compressed air energy storage, 8 flow batteries, 8 hybrid energy storage, 3 gravity energy storage, 3 flywheel energy storage, 2 sodium-ion batteries, 2 carbon dioxide energy storage, 1 lead-carbon battery, and 1 liquid air energy storage. Since the release of the list of demonstration projects, related work has been steadily advancing, and some demonstration projects have been successfully connected to the grid, which has effectively promoted the implementation of new technology applications.

Third, continue to improve the new energy storage call mechanism and promote the role of regulation. With the rapid development of new energy, the power system has put forward greater demands on regulation capabilities. In order to improve the utilization rate of new energy storage and give full play to the regulatory role of new energy storage, the National Energy Administration adheres to the "problem-oriented, system-oriented" concept, refines policy measures, and issues the "Notice on Promoting the Grid Connection and Dispatching of New Energy Storage" (National Energy Development Technology Regulation [2024] No. 26). The document aims to standardize the grid connection of new energy storage, promote the efficient dispatching and utilization of new energy storage, and put forward specific requirements for power grid companies, power dispatching agencies, and new energy storage project units.

In the next step, the National Energy Administration will continue to improve the new energy storage policy system, encourage scientific and technological innovation, continue to promote the progress of the new energy storage technology industry, continuously guide the scientific allocation and dispatch of various types of energy storage, promote the regulatory role of new energy storage, and support the construction of new energy systems and new power systems.