World's first flexible DC power grid starts operation

The Zhangbei flexible DC power grid in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, is seen in this file photo. [Photo/China News Service]

The world's first flexible direct current (DC) power grid project has been put into operation, creating 12 world firsts, Sina Finance reported.

The Zhangbei renewable energy flexible DC grid test and demonstration project was completed and put into operation, said Mao Weiming, chairman of the State Grid Corporation.

As the world's first DC networked power grid project, the core technologies and key equipment were created by China, and 12 of them are pioneering examples.

These innovative technologies will be used in the Beijing Winter Olympic Stadium, making it the first stadium with a 100 percent clean energy power supply in the history of the games.

The project is of great significance for improving clean energy delivery ability, supporting the Green Olympics, implementing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy and driving independent R&D and innovative manufacturing of key technical equipment, said Liu Baohua, deputy director of the National Energy Administration.

The flexible DC transmission technology has strong controllability, fast power adjustment speed and a flexible operation mode compared with AC and conventional DC. It is considered the "golden key" to solve the problem of large-scale consumption of new energy.

The project has driven local wind and photovoltaic power generation investment to reach 60 billion yuan ($8.5 billion). It can deliver 14 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity every year, fully meeting the power needs of 26 Winter Olympic venues in the Beijing and Zhangjiakou areas.

The project can also help save 49 million tons of standard coal and 12.8 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The power grid is an important infrastructure segment related to the national economy and the people's livelihood with a large investment, a long industrial chain, and significant medium- and long-term economic benefits.

State Grid Co Ltd has increased its fixed-asset investment to 460 billion yuan from 418.6 billion yuan planned at the beginning of the year, focusing on UHV, new energy vehicle charging piles and digital infrastructure.