Gansu Province releases the "Implementation Plan for the Construction and Operation Management of Virtual Power Plants in Gansu Province (Draft for Comments)"

On October 21, the Gansu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology publicly solicited opinions and suggestions on the "Implementation Plan for the Construction and Operation Management of Virtual Power Plants in Gansu Province (Draft for Comments)".

Promote the construction of the virtual power plant operation and management system in Gansu Province, carry out the access of virtual power plants to the new power load management system, realize the unified management, unified regulation and unified service of load resources, fully tap the flexible resource adjustment capabilities, effectively promote the consumption of new energy, and explore market-oriented paths to achieve real-time balance and safe supply capacity of the power system. Promote the formation of a number of replicable and popularizable virtual power plant demonstration projects, continue to deepen the access management and transaction service capabilities of virtual power plants, optimize the allocation of power resources, and lead and cultivate the standardized, normalized, large-scale and market-oriented development of Gansu's virtual power plants.

The following is the original text

Notice of the Gansu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology on soliciting opinions and suggestions on the "Implementation Plan for the Construction and Operation Management of Virtual Power Plants in Gansu Province (Draft for Comments)"

In order to implement the spirit of documents such as the "Electricity Load Management Measures (2023 Edition)" (Development and Reform Operation [2023] No. 1261), "Electricity Demand Side Management Measures (2023 Edition)" (Development and Reform Operation [2023] No. 1283), etc., accelerate the construction of a new power system, strengthen power supply, fully tap the flexible adjustment resources on the power demand side, and guide the standardized development of virtual power plants. In combination with the actual operation of the Gansu power market, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, together with the State Grid Gansu Electric Power Company, has compiled the "Gansu Virtual Power Plant Construction and Operation Management Implementation Plan (Draft for Comments)", which is now open to the public for comments. Relevant units in the province are welcome to put forward opinions and suggestions. Please feedback the relevant opinions and suggestions to the email address (GSGXTDLC@163.com) or fax to 0931-8929293 before 18:00 on November 5, 2024 (Tuesday), and leave your contact information.

Appendix: Gansu Province Virtual Power Plant Construction and Operation Management Implementation Plan (Draft for Comments)

Gansu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology
October 21, 2024

Gansu Province Virtual Power Plant Construction and Operation Management Implementation Plan (Trial) (Draft for Comments)

In order to implement the spirit of the "Electricity Load Management Measures (2023 Edition)" (Development and Reform Operation [2023] No. 1261), the "Electricity Demand Side Management Measures (2023 Edition)" (Development and Reform Operation [2023] No. 1283), and the "Notice of the Gansu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology on Issuing the and the " (Gan Gongxinfa [2024] No. 138), etc., accelerate the construction of a new power system, strengthen power supply, fully tap the flexible adjustment resources on the power demand side, guide the standardized development of virtual power plants, and combine the actual operation of the Gansu power market, this plan is formulated.

1. Significance

Based on the energy resource endowment of our province, by establishing a market-oriented operation mechanism for virtual power plants under a complete market trading system of "medium- and long-term + spot + ancillary services", we will further stimulate the flexible adjustment potential of distributed resources in the power grid, gradually enrich and diversify market trading entities, provide the power system with more abundant adjustment means, better respond to the challenges brought by the grid connection of distributed power sources, adapt to the new power system operation mode with the characteristics of new energy, promote the improvement of new energy consumption level, ensure the safe and stable supply of electricity in the province, and help achieve the province's "dual carbon" goals.

II. General requirements

1. Guiding ideology

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and in accordance with the requirements of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government on energy security, we will take ensuring a safe and stable energy supply as our top priority, fully implement the new energy security strategy, and accelerate the construction of a new power system that is clean, low-carbon, safe, abundant, economically efficient, coordinated in supply and demand, and flexible and intelligent. Relying on market mechanisms and driven by technological innovation, we will use virtual power plants as an important means to enhance the regulation and security capabilities of the power system, and help the province's energy low-carbon transformation and industrial upgrading and transformation.

(II) Work objectives

The construction of virtual power plants in Gansu Province follows the principle of "overall design, government-enterprise collaboration, pilot first, and continuous advancement", fully draws on the experience of domestic virtual power plant construction and operation, and combines the actual situation in Gansu to promote the construction of the virtual power plant operation and management system in Gansu Province, and connect virtual power plants to new power load management systems to achieve unified management, unified regulation, and unified service of load resources, fully tap the flexible resource adjustment capabilities, effectively promote the consumption of new energy, and explore market-oriented paths to achieve real-time balance and safe supply capabilities of the power system, promote the formation of a number of replicable and popularizable virtual power plant demonstration projects, and continuously deepen the access management and transaction service capabilities of virtual power plants, optimize the allocation of power resources, and lead and cultivate the standardized, normalized, large-scale, and market-oriented development of virtual power plants in Gansu.

(III) Working principles

Adhere to overall planning and reasonable layout. Strengthen top-level design, comprehensively consider the power system's security assurance capabilities, system regulation capabilities, and the need to improve overall efficiency, scientifically evaluate the scale of virtual power plant construction and development, and reasonably layout virtual power plants according to local conditions to promote the coordinated development of sources, networks, loads, and storage.

Adhere to policy guidance and market drive. Give full play to the leading role of the government, promote the improvement of management policies and mechanisms, and form a standardized virtual power plant construction and development management process. Give full play to the role of market trading mechanisms and market price signals, and guide adjustable resources to participate in grid interaction through market-oriented means.

Adhere to demonstration first and implement in steps. In accordance with the principle of "pilot first, then promote", give priority to regions, parks, and enterprises with easy access, strong adjustable capabilities, good market potential, and high technical maturity to implement adjustable resource access transformation, implement virtual power plant pilot demonstration projects in steps, and gradually improve the virtual power plant's resource aggregation capabilities and the flexibility and reliability of the power system.

3. Construction and Access

1. Definition of concepts

A virtual power plant refers to a system that uses advanced technologies such as digitalization and intelligence to aggregate, coordinate and optimize adjustable loads, distributed power sources, energy storage and other resources within a certain area on the demand side, and combines them with corresponding electricity market mechanisms to form a system with the ability to respond to grid operation and regulation.

Virtual power plant operators are the main body of virtual power plant construction and operation. They should be power sales companies, load aggregators, or power wholesale users with power market trading qualifications that have legal person status and are officially registered on the power trading platform. Virtual power plant operators aggregate the energy resources of power generators and users through commercial contracts and participate in power market transactions as a type of business entity.

Virtual power plants aggregate power generation and consumption resources that are not directly dispatched and controlled by the dispatching agency, excluding residential agriculture and power grid enterprises that purchase electricity on behalf of others. They should have a power marketing account number of the provincial power company. The resource aggregation objects include adjustable loads, distributed power sources, user-side energy storage, etc., and have the conditions for electricity metering and remote collection of electricity consumption information to meet settlement requirements.

2. Classification of virtual power plant operators