Green Electricity Powers Ice Ribbon, Ice Cube

Brilliant Ice Ribbon, Crystal Ice Cube. The "See You in Beijing" winter sports testing programs were carried out, while the ice testing programs were conducted at five venues in Beijing competition zone from April 1 to 10, for which electricity was needed at every step from ice-making to lighting.

The Beijing converter station of the Zhangbei VSC-HVDC grid demonstration project (hereinafter referred to as Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project), which is located in Yanqing district, is working around the clock. Green electricity generated from such clean energy as wind, solar and biomass in Zhangbei is converged here and then transmitted to the Beijing grid, ensuring the "green powering" of venues of Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

"All venues of Beijing 2022 will use 100% green electricity, which will be the first time this is achieved in the Olympic history," said Xu Zhijun, deputy secretary-general of the Organizing Committee of Beijing 2022 and head of its power coordination group. The ice testing program would also test and examine the green power supply and guarantee capabilities to provide references for reliable green power supply during the competitions.

Multiple advanced technologies are adopted

On June 29, 2020, Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project was officially put into operation, whereby green electricity from Zhangjiakou is transmitted to the Beijing grid incessantly, marking a critical step toward the green powering of Beijing 2022 venues.

PV station of Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project

Zhangbei abounds in renewable energy, with huge wind and solar resource, but the utilization rate of clean energy used to be low due to the weak grid structure. The successful operation of Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project has integrated over 100 wind farms and thousands of PV stations in Zhangjiakou into a whole and put them "online", thus achieving the grid-connection, absorption and transmission of all the green electricity output.

"Adopting 12 world-leading technologies, the project can effectively offset the surges to grid arising from the intermittence and volatility of new energy and turn them into stable energy sources that can be used for production and life," said Xu Zhijun, who compared VSC-HVDC to a controllable "pump" in the power system to realize stable operation.

What is grid "flexibility"? Take wind power that relies on the weather conditions for example. When there is strong wind, there is ample power output, but the demand side cannot necessarily use that much electricity; when there is only weak wind, there is little power output, but the demand side may be at the peak of use. It's difficult to match supply and demand all the time, and the application of VSC-HVDC technology makes that possible through proactive control and adjustment.

An integrated wind and solar power storage and transmission system has been established in Zhangbei, while pumped storage hydropower station is built in Fengning, both of which function as reservoirs for the power system. They are used to store energy when the power supply is ample and to replenish the grid when there is power shortage. These innovative technologies and facilities have ensured the stable and sufficient supply of green electricity.

The whole process of power generation and trading is cleared

There are many windmills around the Guanting reservoir in Yanqing, Beijing. Completed in 2007, the Guanting wind farm was the first of its kind in the capital city and, taking the opportunity of preparing for Beijing 2022, has given Beijing the confidence to provide green power to all Winter Olympics venues thanks to the large-scale and secure integration, transmission and accommodation of new energy.

Striving for the zero-carbon operation of Olympic venues is one of the important measures to realize a "green Olympic Games". For that purpose, the power coordination group of Beijing 2022 has creatively put forth the plan that "power generators provide green power, power platforms trade green power, and all Winter Olympics venues use green power", so as to establish a sound long-term mechanism by clearing the whole process from power generation to trading and use.

Employees of State Grid Beijing Electric Power Company are checking converter valves at the Yanqing converter station of Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project

In August 2018, the power coordination group of Beijing 2022 proposed the implementing plan for green power trading for Winter Olympics venues and called for the active participation of all walks of life. In November that year, the Rules for Market-Based Trading of Green Power in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region (Trial)was issued and distributed, which gave the venues priority to participate in market-based green power trading.

Beijing municipality and Hebei province respectively rolled out rules on green power trading for Winter Olympics users, and the State Grid Beijing Power Exchange Center Co., Ltd. put in place the trading procedures. In the meantime, multiple clean energy power generators in China, represented by Beijing Energy Holding Co., Ltd., offered to provide green power quota for Beijing 2022 and contribute to its success even at reduced profits.

The innovations and multi-party cooperation in power generation, transmission, consumption and trading have straightened out the mechanism and laid the foundation for the green powering of Beijing 2022.

"We have made meaningful attempts at the accommodation and direct supply of clean energy. We will not only provide clean electricity in the whole cycle from the preparation to the conclusion of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, but also play a demonstrative role for the green, high-quality development," said Xu Zhijun.

New paths of clean energy development are explored

On January 30, 2019, the "green power trading" for Beijing 2022 venues officially kicked off. To date, the venues have traded 318GWh electricity cumulatively, equivalent to an economy of 100,000 tons of standard coal and a cut of CO2 emissions by 250,000 tons, making remarkable contributions to energy conservation and emission reduction and to a green and low-carbon Winter Olympics.

Juan Antonio Samaranch, chair of the International Olympic Committee's Coordination Commission for the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, commented highly of such practice, that previous Olympic Games have tried clean energy at venues, but Beijing 2022 is the first in Olympic history to cover all venues in a green grid. It will be the first "all-green" Olympic Games and will set an example for the green and sustainable development of host cities and beyond.

Employees of State Grid Beijing Electric Power Company are maintaining charging piles at the Banquan service zone, a traffic hub for Beijing 2022

Powering the Games venues in a green way is a step taken by China to deliver on its bid promises, and demonstrate its efforts to keep its word of emission reduction and its achievements in green and low-carbon development. "Taking this step, we have played a leading and demonstrative role by exploring a new path of shared green energy development that's reproducible and promotable," said Xu Zhijun.

Lighting up Beijing with wind from Zhangbei – this poetic promise has become reality at the venues for Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. The green powering of Beijing 2022 not only advances breakthroughs in China’s exploitation and utilization of clean energy, but also provides references for changing the structure of energy consumption and boosting the high-quality development of the clean energy industry.

It is estimated that the Zhangbei VSC-HVDC project can transmit about 22.5TWh clean electricity to Beijing annually, which is roughly 1/10 of the capital city’s annual power consumption and equivalent to saving 7.8 million tons of standard coal and reducing 20.4 million tons of CO2 emissions every year. Moreover, the Zhangbei new energy base and Fengning energy-storage power station have been connected with the Beijing load center, with various energy sources complementing each other and being accommodated in a flexible way.

"Through the preparations for Beijing 2022, China has made new explorations for the exploitation and utilization of clean energy. The Organizing Committee for Beijing 2022 will give full play to the Winter Olympics' demonstrative effect and achieve mutual promotion and win-win development between the preparations for the Games and local development," said Xu Zhijun.