As a clean energy source, the role is rather awkward

In addition to the unbearable pain of gas prices, the stability of gas sources also affects the efficiency of natural gas power generation. Guo Jiaofeng said that gas-fired power generation needs a large number of continuous and stable natural gas supply, but under the monopoly of a few enterprises, in recent years, gas-fired power plants often become the main object of short or even interrupted supply when the natural gas supply is tight, affecting its normal operation and market investment enthusiasm.

It is also understood that because the gas used in the power plant is relatively biased after the natural gas distribution order, especially in the winter, when the gas is mainly used by the people, some units are difficult to ensure the normal maintenance of gas.

In terms of policy, Guo Jiaofeng proposed that not only the peak regulation and environmental protection value of gas and electricity lack a perfect electricity price mechanism to reflect, but also the distributed energy of natural gas has hindered large-scale development due to the difficulty of power grid connection. "Although the energy authorities have introduced too many policies such as complementary energy and integration of wind, water, fire and storage, gas and electricity should be in what position and how to play a role in the coordinated development of other power sources, and the policy level lacks clear positioning and guidance."

The relatively high price of gas and electricity makes the distribution of gas and electricity units highly correlated with the level of economic development, which is mainly concentrated in the economically developed Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Beijing-Tianjin region. Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai are the provinces with the highest concentration of gas-fired power plants in China.

The high proportion of renewable energy challenges the power system, and the flexibility of gas and electricity is highlighted

However, the awkward situation of natural gas power generation does not mean that natural gas power has no comparative advantages.

The proposal of the "3060" dual-carbon target, the tightening of carbon constraints around the country, and the ongoing reform of the oil and gas system are reshaping the industrial pattern of natural gas power generation. A number of industry insiders interviewed told the Surging news that the construction of a new power system with new energy as the main body can not be absent. In front of gas and electricity, there is still a strategic opportunity period of at least 10 years.

On one side of the coin, the gas power is expensive and the fuel cost is inferior, on the other hand, the gas power is clean and low-carbon compared with coal power, and it matches with a high proportion of fluctuating renewable energy to ensure the stable operation of the grid.

By the end of 2020, China's total installed capacity of wind power and solar power generation is about 530 million kilowatts, accounting for about 24%. According to the carbon reduction target announced by China, the installed capacity of new wind and solar power generation will reach more than 1 billion kilowatts in the next decade, nearly doubling the total proportion. Renewable energy is accelerating from a supporting role to a leading role in the energy system, which is unstoppable globally, but its long time and high power makes the power system face great challenges in the traditional security of supply issues such as operational safety, adequate capacity and system resilience.

"The main force of direct emission reduction and the driver of indirect emission reduction." Liu Zhitan, secretary-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Energy Bureau Natural gas power generation and distributed energy Engineering Research Center, said to the paper news that the role of gas and electricity in the context of low-carbon transition. The so-called direct emission reduction refers to the replacement of small coal power and coal-fired boilers with gas electricity to achieve direct carbon emission reduction benefits. Indirect emission reduction, gas electricity as a flexible power supply to provide support for the development of renewable energy.

With the rapid expansion of renewable energy such as wind power and photovoltaic with obvious characteristics of volatility, randomness and intermittency, their proportion in the power grid is getting higher and higher, and the demand for flexible power supply in the power grid is becoming more and more urgent. Only equipped with sufficient flexible power supply can "smooth" the "wayward" renewable energy, so as to maintain the safety and stability of the grid.

Liu Zhitan introduced that according to international experience, under normal circumstances, the power grid should be configured with about 15% flexible power supply, otherwise the development of renewable energy will be inhibited to a certain extent. At present, the proportion of flexible power supply in China is only 6%, mainly pumped storage, gas electricity and a small amount of hydropower with regulating capacity. "The long-term shortage of flexible power supply in China's power system, coupled with the world's first growth rate of new energy, this contradiction has become even more prominent."