Distribution network digital transformation has full potential

2024-11-08 16:07:59 中国能源报

The distribution network is a terminal platform that connects energy production and consumption, and the two-way interaction between the power grid and users. It has core functions such as power distribution, source-load balance, and multi-energy complementarity. With the accelerated construction of new power systems, the rapid growth of my country's new energy installed capacity and the continuous growth of green electricity penetration have brought huge challenges to the safe operation of distribution networks. At present, under the background of the explosive growth of distributed renewable energy sites and new energy vehicles, the transformation and upgrading of distribution networks is imperative, and intelligence and digitalization will become an important direction for the development of distribution networks in the future. So, what new challenges does the new situation bring to the distribution network? What new requirements does it put forward for the industry? What is the current progress of the construction of my country's modern smart distribution network? With these questions, the reporter recently interviewed Sheng Wanxing, an academician, deputy chief engineer, and director of the Distribution Technology Center of the China Electric Power Research Institute. ■■■The construction and operation environment of the distribution network is becoming more and more complex China Energy News: What new changes will the distribution network usher in during the construction of the new power system? Sheng Wanxing: Under the "dual carbon" goal, large-scale distributed power sources, charging piles and other user-side equipment will be connected to the distribution network. Especially with the accelerated construction of new power systems, my country's distribution network will show the characteristics of high proportion of distributed power sources, pulse loads, and power electronic equipment in form, and mathematically show the characteristics of uncertainty in power supply, load, and spatiotemporal state. At the system level, due to the access of a large number of distributed resources, the distribution network will evolve from a single power distribution network to a multi-energy complementary configuration platform, showing the characteristics of complex network structure, complex operating conditions, and complex operating environment. As a key platform for power supply, energy transformation, and resource allocation, the digital transformation of the distribution network has become inevitable, which will achieve a win-win situation for the government, power grid, and users, and enhance their sense of gain and value. For the government, the digital distribution network can promote the upgrading of key infrastructure, realize the synergy of multiple energy sources such as electricity, heat, cold, and gas, ensure the safe, stable and high-quality supply of energy and electricity, continuously improve the overall utilization efficiency of the energy system, and support the high-quality development of the economy and society. For the power grid, the integration and development of the physical system of the power grid and the digital infrastructure can enhance the elasticity of the distribution network, continuously open up the power grid resource platform, support the flexible access of diversified sources and loads, promote the local consumption of high-penetration distributed clean energy, and realize the value mining of the power grid, platform business expansion and brand reputation enhancement. For users, relying on digital technology to form a two-way interactive platform between the power grid and users, it can expand the open and shared market-oriented new formats such as microgrids, energy storage, and virtual power plants, provide high-quality comprehensive energy services and electric vehicle services, effectively improve the people's livelihood power supply guarantee capabilities, and meet the diversified, interactive, and personalized energy needs. ■■■It is imperative to build a modern and smart new distribution network China Energy News: How do you view the new goal of digital transformation of the distribution network? Sheng Wanxing: Under the dual background of energy transformation and digital transformation, the digital transformation of the distribution network is imperative, and the construction of a modern and smart distribution network is an important practice to support the transformation. my country's distribution network is huge, widely distributed, and has significant differences. The modern smart distribution network is a basic platform for realizing multi-energy coupling complementarity and multi-aggregation interaction. It is regarded as an important link in supporting the construction of a new energy system, the main battlefield for the construction of a new power system, and the key to achieving the "dual carbon" goal. Since the proposal of the construction of a modern smart distribution network, it has received a positive response from the industry. Different experts have analyzed it from the aspects of function, form, implementation path, and development goals. In general, the modern smart distribution network can be regarded as the distribution network form (new distribution system) of the new power system. Through the deep integration of modern information and communication technologies such as "big cloud, things, mobile, and intelligence" with the active distribution network, the new distribution system is empowered with digitalization, intelligence, and wisdom to achieve the development goal of a modern distribution network that is safe, reliable, economical, efficient, clean, and low-carbon. Among them, "modern" is the inevitable evolution of new elements, new formats, and new economic development under the Chinese-style modernization of the distribution network. It is the objective demand for the upgrading of traditional distribution networks and the essential requirement for moving towards an internationally leading distribution network. It emphasizes the "modernization" of distribution management systems, service capabilities, grid structures, facilities and equipment, and technical levels. "Intelligence" is the inevitable choice for modern distribution networks to meet power security, green energy transformation, and optimal resource allocation. It is the subjective requirement and endogenous driving force for distribution network upgrades, focusing on the "intelligence" of distribution network operation monitoring, commercial operation, multi-energy complementarity, and flexible interaction. China Energy News: What new challenges does the above goal bring to the power industry, and what technical fields need to be focused on? Sheng Wanxing: The access of large-scale distributed power sources, charging piles and other user-side devices to the distribution network fundamentally breaks the one-way, deterministic, and closed system structure and operation mode of the traditional power grid, and realizes interactive coordination between the power grid and users. This has both objective needs and inherent complexity. It is generally believed internationally that breaking through the resource coordination and interoperability technology between the power grid and users is the key. my country has set up the "Key Technology for Distribution Network Business Resource Collaboration and Interoperability" project in the "Energy Storage and Smart Grid Technology" special project of the first batch of national key R&D plans in the "14th Five-Year Plan". The project focuses on data interoperability, flexible equipment access, and efficient business collaboration. The three technologies include: breaking through the source, network, and load data sharing mechanism and secure interaction methods to achieve cross-business, cross-application, and cross-role data interoperability; breaking through the unified information model and secure access mechanism of terminal equipment to achieve plug-and-play equipment; breaking through the key technologies of concurrent optimization and control of multi-business resources and security protection to achieve efficient collaboration and interaction of power supply and use resources. ■■■A multi-party collaborative and interactive ecosystem needs to be built China Energy News: What is the current progress of my country's exploration and practice of digital transformation of distribution networks, and what are the advantages? Sheng Wanxing: Creating a modern smart distribution network is a complex system project, which requires more than ever technology integration and innovation, efficient resource collaboration, and operational model changes, especially the integration of engineering applications and basic forward-looking technologies, the construction of a supply and demand multi-party collaborative and interactive ecosystem, and the transformation of production methods and business models, so as to achieve value chain transmission and multi-subject win-win. Among them, in terms of technological innovation, we should not only pay attention to engineering application technology, but also pay attention to the integration with basic forward-looking technology, focusing on breakthroughs in source-load prediction and tracking, AC/DC hybrid networking, virtual power plant dispatching, charging and discharging power regulation, energy routing, resource coordination, intelligent operation and maintenance, high-performance communication, smart services, information security, smart energy simulation and other technologies, and build a "smart grid-Internet of Things-smart service" technology system. In terms of resource coordination, we should focus on achieving transparent perception of power supply and consumption systems, efficient business integration, intelligent operation and control, and platform-based resource allocation, and build an ecological system for collaborative interaction between supply and demand parties. In terms of operation mode, we should explore the construction of an operation system with diversified market entities, diverse transaction varieties, and rich service types, and promote changes in production methods and business models. The construction of the power distribution Internet of Things in my country has laid a solid foundation for the creation of a modern smart distribution network. The power distribution Internet of Things aims to improve the observability, measurability and controllability of the power grid and enhance the ability to integrate and apply information data. State Grid Corporation of China has taken the lead in conducting research on the Internet of Things for power distribution since 2017, and has conducted systematic and in-depth exploration and practice in the aspects of "cloud-pipe-edge-end" architecture, remote-local communication protocols, software and hardware functional modules, and information security protection. It has solved key problems such as transparent perception and Internet of Things of distribution networks, software and hardware decoupling design, and cross-system and cross-application data fusion, and has developed a series of achievements such as smart distribution transformer terminals. According to statistics, as of the end of 2022, more than 1 million smart distribution transformer terminals developed by State Grid Corporation of China have been deployed, and software APPs such as fault location analysis, power quality analysis, power supply reliability analysis, and distribution transformer operation status monitoring have been developed and applied on a large scale, promoting the digital transformation of distribution networks.