The average development rate of small hydropower resources in China has reached 60%, with some areas approaching 90%. Exploring how small hydropower can participate in the green transformation and development of new energy systems under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
Small hydropower has played an important role in solving the problem of electricity consumption in rural areas of China, supporting rural economic and social development, and addressing climate change. At present, the average development rate of small hydropower resources in China has reached 60%, with some regions approaching 90%. The focus of small hydropower development has shifted from incremental development to stock excavation and management. Recently, the reporter interviewed Dr. Xu Jincai, Director of the International Small Hydropower Center of the Ministry of Water Resources and Director of the Hydroelectric Power Generation Committee of the Chinese Water Conservancy Society, to explore how small hydropower can participate in the green transformation and development of the new energy system under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.
What role does small hydropower play in achieving carbon neutrality goals?
At the end of last year, 136 countries proposed carbon neutrality goals, covering 88% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 90% of GDP, and 85% of the population. The trend of global green and low-carbon transformation is unstoppable. China has also proposed to adopt strong policies and measures, striving to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.
More than 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions are energy related, and the climate crisis requires us to strictly control greenhouse gas emissions. China is the world’s largest energy producer and consumer, accounting for approximately 1/5 and 1/4 of the world’s energy production and consumption, respectively. The energy characteristics are rich in coal, poor in oil, and low in gas. The external dependence of oil and natural gas exceeds 70% and 40%, respectively.
However, the development speed of renewable energy in China in recent years is evident to all. At the end of last year, the total installed capacity of renewable energy exceeded 1.2 billion kilowatts, and the global installed capacity of renewable energy was about 3.3 billion kilowatts. It can be said that more than one-third of the installed capacity of renewable energy comes from China. China’s clean energy industry has formed a global leading advantage, with key components of photovoltaic and wind power accounting for 70% of the global market share.
The rapid development of renewable energy will inevitably lead to an increasing demand for regulatory resources, and the regulatory advantages of hydropower will also become more prominent. Hydropower is the most mature renewable energy technology and will play a positive role in global carbon neutrality. In response, the US government plans to invest $630 million in modernizing and upgrading hydroelectric units nationwide, with the main focus on hydroelectric maintenance and efficiency improvement.
Although small hydropower accounts for a relatively small proportion of China’s hydropower industry, it is still very important. There are over 10000 small hydropower stations in China with a storage capacity of 100000 cubic meters or more, which are unique distributed energy storage and regulation resources that can support the high proportion of regional new energy integration and consumption.
Small hydropower development and harmonious coexistence with ecological environment
In the context of carbon peak and carbon neutrality, the development direction of small hydropower has shifted to adapting to the construction of new power systems and achieving harmonious coexistence between small hydropower development and the ecological environment. The Action Plan for Carbon Peak before 2030 clearly proposes to accelerate the green development of small hydropower as an important part of the energy green and low-carbon transformation action.
In recent years, China has carried out a large amount of practice in the green transformation and development of small hydropower. One is the efficiency and capacity expansion renovation of small hydropower. During the 12th Five Year Plan period, the central government invested 8.5 billion yuan to complete the efficiency and expansion renovation of 4300 rural hydropower stations. During the 13th Five Year Plan period, the central government invested a total of 4.6 billion yuan. Over 2100 small hydropower stations in 22 provinces completed efficiency and expansion renovation, and more than 1300 rivers completed ecological transformation and restoration. In 2017, the International Small Hydropower Center organized and implemented the “Global Environment Fund” China Small Hydropower Efficiency Enhancement, Expansion and Transformation Value Added Project. Currently, pilot work has been completed for 19 projects in 8 provinces, and experiences are being summarized and shared internationally.
The second is the small hydropower cleaning and rectification carried out by the Ministry of Water Resources, including restoring river connectivity and repairing dehydrated river sections. From 2018 to 2020, the Yangtze River Economic Belt cleared and rectified more than 25000 small hydropower stations, and more than 21000 power stations implemented ecological flow according to regulations, and have been connected to various levels of regulatory platforms. At present, the cleaning and rectification of over 2800 small hydropower stations in the Yellow River Basin are underway.
The third is to create green small hydropower demonstration power stations. Since the establishment of green small hydropower in 2017, as of the end of last year, China has created more than 900 green small hydropower stations. Nowadays, the green transformation and development of small hydropower has become a national policy. Many small hydropower stations in various provinces and cities have rectified the green small hydropower standards, improved ecological flow discharge and monitoring facilities, and implemented river ecological restoration. By creating a number of typical green small hydropower demonstrations, we aim to accelerate the high-quality development of green transformation in river basins, regions, and even the small hydropower industry.
The fourth is to modernize small hydropower stations. At present, many small hydropower stations have changed the conventional mode of independent and decentralized operation of single stations, and are establishing a unified operation mode of power station clusters on a regional or watershed basis.
Assist in achieving the “dual carbon” goals
Overall, in the past, the construction of small hydropower was aimed at providing electricity supply and achieving rural electrification. The current renovation of small hydropower is aimed at improving the efficiency, safety, and ecological effects of power stations, and achieving high-quality green transformation. The sustainable development of small hydropower in the future will play a unique role in energy storage regulation, helping to achieve the “dual carbon” goals.
Looking ahead to the future, existing small hydropower cascade power stations can be transformed into pumped storage power stations to promote the consumption of random renewable energy and achieve the green transformation of small hydropower. For example, in May last year, after the renovation of the Chunchangba Pumped Storage Power Station in Xiaojin County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, an integrated system of hydropower, photovoltaics, and pumped storage was formed.
In addition, hydropower and new energy have strong complementarity. Small hydropower stations have a wide range and large quantity, and a large number of them have not played a good role in regulating the power supply. Small hydropower stations can participate in virtual power plants to achieve collaborative optimization of operation control and market transactions, providing auxiliary services such as peak shaving, frequency regulation, and backup for the power grid.
Another opportunity that cannot be ignored is that the combination of hydropower with green certificates, green electricity, and carbon trading will bring new value. Taking international green certificates as an example, in 2022, we initiated the development of international green certificates for small hydropower. We selected 19 power stations in the Lishui Demonstration Zone of the International Small Hydropower Center as demonstrations for international green certificate development, and completed the registration, issuance, and trading of 140000 international green certificates for the first batch of 6 power stations. At present, among all international green certificates such as wind power, photovoltaics, and hydropower, hydropower is the project with the highest issuance volume, of which small hydropower accounts for about 23%. Green certificates, green electricity, and carbon trading reflect the environmental value of new energy projects, helping to form a market system and long-term mechanism for green energy production and consumption.
Finally, it should be emphasized that the green development of small hydropower in China can also contribute to rural revitalization. This year, China is implementing the “Wind Power Action for Thousands of Villages and Towns” and the “Photovoltaic Action for Thousands of Households and Households”, steadily promoting the pilot development of distributed rooftop photovoltaics throughout the county, promoting clean energy use in rural areas, and carrying out pilot construction of rural energy revolution. Small hydropower is a renewable energy source with unique energy storage and regulation functions, and is also an ecological product that is relatively easy to achieve value conversion in mountainous areas. It can promote the clean and low-carbon transformation of rural energy and help promote common prosperity.
Post time: Jan-04-2024
