Strengthening the use of renewable energy is conducive to the security of the energy system

Recently, China News Service and the Energy Foundation co-hosted the Energy China Forum with the theme of "Energy Transformation: First to break, Steady progress". Du Xiangwan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, former Vice president and advisor of the National Expert Committee on Climate Change, shared his observations and reflections on China's energy security and energy transition.

Du Xiangwan pointed out that "the use of renewable energy resources is within our control, and the bigger this piece is, the stronger our control will be." It does not depend on changes in international geopolitics, unlike oil and gas, which depends on changes in international geopolitics, which is conducive to the independence and security of the energy system. The "dual carbon" commitment declares China's determination and ambition for green and low-carbon development, marking the beginning of the end of the development model formed since the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of a new development paradigm will create a new modernization model for mankind and bring sustainable green prosperity to China and the world.

A new understanding of China's energy and resource endowment

We will strengthen the use of renewable energy

Actively and steadily promoting the "double carbon" action needs to be based on China's energy and resource endowment, and adhere to the first to break. Du Xiangwan proposed that it is necessary to fully and accurately understand China's energy resource endowment according to the latest practice and research data, so as to lay an accurate foundation for China's energy transformation.

Many people often use "rich coal, lack of oil, less gas" to summarize China's energy resources endowment, but Du Xiangwan believes that such understanding has fallen behind the development of The Times, he pointed out that under the demand for sustainable economic and social development, the realization of dual-carbon goals, renewable energy rapid growth. By the end of 2022, the installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.2 billion kilowatts, accounting for 47.3 percent of the country's total installed power generation capacity. Last year, China's wind power and photovoltaic power generation exceeded 1 trillion KWH for the first time, and renewable energy generation reached 2.7 trillion KWH, accounting for 31.6% of the whole society's electricity consumption.

"It should be recognized that abundant renewable energy is an important part of China's energy resource endowment, and the renewable energy resources that have been developed in China are less than one-tenth of the amount of resources that can be developed by technology, and the resource base of low-carbon energy transformation is rich, which is the premise of transformation." Du Xiangwan said.

However, for a long time, many people's understanding of China's energy resource endowment is not in place, there are limitations. Some areas with a heavy energy load only focus on their own coal, oil and gas and other fossil energy "heavy load, lack of resources", and do not realize that there are abundant renewable energy resources around to develop, thus forming a dependence on foreign fossil energy, and even affect energy policies and energy strategies. Du Xiangwan pointed out that energy transformation and energy security go hand in hand, and strengthening the utilization of renewable energy resources is of directional and strategic significance for ensuring the country's long-term energy security and guiding energy transformation.

The central and eastern regions have sufficient non-fossil energy resources

We will increase the rate of energy self-sufficiency

The traditional energy system is difficult to meet the three goals of "safe and reliable", "economically feasible" and "green and low-carbon" at the same time, which is often referred to as the "energy impossible triangle". However, Du Xiangwan believes that safety and reliability are the basic requirements for the energy system, at the same time, only economically viable energy will be accepted by the society, and green low-carbon is the general direction of energy transformation, so the new energy system that calls for double carbon must gradually achieve these three goals, turning the impossible triangle into possible.

With a correct understanding of China's energy and resource endowment, Du Xiangwan said that we have set a goal to reach more than 80% of non-fossil energy consumption by 2060. In the face of the volatility of wind power photovoltaic, it is necessary to make the wind-dominated power system safe and reliable through multi-energy complementarity, source grid charge and storage, commercial energy storage and other technologies, and build a new power system.

Central and eastern China is the main load area of China's energy and electricity, how to solve the energy and electricity demand in the east? Du Xiangwan said that eastern and central China must be "taken from the side" and "come from afar". The central and eastern regions should improve the energy self-sufficiency rate through non-fossil energy, and can not only wait for "west power transmission to the east."