Development of smart microgrid powered by renewable energy in China: current status and challenges

ABSTRACT

During the ‘13^th Five-Year Plan period’ (2016–2020), one of the main targets for China's energy strategy is to develop a new generation of power system, integrating high shares of renewable energy sources. This implies that the technology industrialisation of microgrid powered by distributed generation of renewable energy is becoming crucial. This paper carries out a comprehensive study of the status and challenges of developing microgrid, based on case studies of demonstration projects of microgrid in China during different developmental stages. The focus is on the effects of government policies, technical innovations and changes in the business model of electricity market on the promotion of microgrid in China and the reformation of electricity market in China. The ultimate target for the reformation of power system in China is to finish the transformation from a linear business model of centralised power system.

KEYWORDS:

• Microgrid
• government policy
• technology innovation
• business model

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes On Contributors

Cong Xu obtained the LL.B, LL.M degree in intellectual property law and the Ph.D. degree in law science and technology (2016) from University of Bologna in Italy. During 2015–2016, she was a visiting scholar at the Max-Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich, Germany. Currently she is an Assistant Professor in the Academy of Intellectual Property at Shanghai University. Her research interests include Technology Regulation and Innovation Policy/Strategy Governance.

Wu Lu obtained the B.Eng. degree in electrical and electronic engineering (2011) and the Ph.D. degree in electrical power engineering (2015) from The University of Manchester in UK. During 2015–2016 he was a Research Associate at the Power and Energy Division in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at The University of Manchester. Currently he is a Lecturer in the College of Electrical Power at Shanghai University of Electric Power. His research interests include condition monitoring, alternative transformer liquids, ageing of insulating materials, transformer thermal modelling, transformer asset management and high voltage testing.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [IEEE Xplore] at [https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/home.jsp], reference number [Arai et al. 2008; Enslin and Heskes 2004; Liu et al. 2015; Zhao, Zhang, and Chen 2013; Zhong and Weiss 2011].

ORCID

Cong Xu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8694-9011

Wu Lu http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5237-5486