(September 21, 2009) The intermittent nature of wind power output and technical obstacles are preventing the state grid from using wind power on a large scale, a senior engineer from the State Grid Corp. of China said recently.

Unpredictable supplies of wind energy cause problems for grid connections, Jiang Liping, assistant chief engineer at the energy research institute of the company, told an industry conference in Wuxi, Jiangsu province.

Grid operators must maintain a balance between generation and consumption loads. Since wind power output fluctuates, the grid must adjust its uptake from other electricity sources to keep the load constant, Jiang said. But 75 percent of China’s electricity comes from coal, and it is technically difficult to operate coal-fired units on a fluctuating basis, Jiang said.

China plans to build 130 to 150 million kilowatts of wind power facilities by 2020, but Jiang said the grid could not accommodate wind energy at such a scale.

In addition, China’s wind farms are mostly located in the northwest, where the grid is generally smaller and more vulnerable to wind output volatility, Jiang said.

The government should re-examine the renewable energy development program, she said.

State Grid is the largest electricity transmission company in China, operating in 25 provincial-level administrative districts.

In May, the company released a blueprint to develop a smart grid, a system using information technology to manage transmission, in 10 years. The project is awaiting regulatory approval, Jiang said.

Yu Dawei, Caijing Magazine, September 21, 2009

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