The infinity of solar energy and the economy of solar power generation will inevitably make solar replace traditional fossil energy in the future

In recent years, the energy storage industry has "" the rapid development of clean energy, and it is expected to solve the problem of "abandoning wind and solar energy".

On December 29, 2018, China's first large-scale grid parity project constructed by China Three Gorges Corporation was officially connected to the grid for power generation in Golmud, Qinghai. The average electricity price of the solar power station is 0.316 yuan/kWh, which is lower than the on-grid electricity price of 0.3247 yuan/kWh, which is the benchmark for thermal power desulfurization in Qinghai Province. Although the National Energy Administration has made it clear that there will still be subsidies for solar power generation before 2020, under the system design of competitive allocation of power station indicators, 2019 will inevitably "point to the area" and open the era of Solar parity.

With the rapid improvement of energy storage technology and the continuous decline of costs, "solar energy storage" will play an important role in the future energy field, and it is expected that more companies will deploy in this field in 2019.

"Clean energy + energy storage" is the direction of the future energy revolution

"If there is no supporting energy storage solution, the possibility of solar replacing conventional energy in the next 20 years is almost zero." Recently, Xie Xiaoping, chairman of SPIC Yellow River Upstream Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yellow River Company), told the media express.

On June 1, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the "Notice on Matters Concerning Solar Power Generation in 2018" (known in the industry as the "5.31" New Deal), which has unprecedented control over the solar industry, including restrictions on the scale of new construction Measures such as reducing subsidy intensity and electricity prices have been called "the most stringent Solar policy in history" by the industry.

After the "5.31" new policy was issued, the demand for an installed capacity of domestic solar power plants shrunk sharply, and the solar market experienced turmoil. Many small and medium-sized solar manufacturing companies that only focus on the domestic market are facing the dilemma of stopping production.

He pointed out that "clean energy + energy storage" is the direction of the future energy revolution. "Due to the defects of intermittency and volatility, solar cannot exist independently in the grid. Only when the energy storage industry develops to a certain extent or is supplemented by other energy sources, it can be replaced by conventional energy sources?" Xie Xiaoping said.

"Solar + energy storage" will become the cheapest energy

Li Zhenguo, president of solar product manufacturer LONGi Green Energy Technology Co., Ltd., said in an interview, "Within ten years, 'solar + energy storage' will become the cheapest energy. Solar will inevitably replace the traditional fossil energy."

Li Zhenguo proposed the concept of "combined energy storage". Due to the discontinuity of solar energy, energy storage is a major problem affecting the development of the Solar industry. However, Li Zhenguo believes that the energy storage problem is not difficult to solve, but there are many solutions. "Future energy will not simply rely on a certain form of energy storage, but a combination of multiple solutions." He said that the current cost of chemical energy storage has dropped to 1/3 of what it was 10 years ago, relying on the difference in terrain to pump water for energy storage It is also a more mature solution. In addition, the popularity of electric vehicles will also play a major role in the energy balance.

"Solar + energy storage is the ultimate solution for human future energy." Li Zhenguo said that once combined with energy storage, the unlimited solar energy and the economy of solar power generation will inevitably make Solar replace traditional fossil energy in the future.

But when it comes to the application of this model, Li Zhenguo said frankly that the model of combining solar power generation and energy storage is still on the way. He believes that hydropower and solar are very complementary. For example, in the dry season and low water season, solar energy is generally abundant, and Solar power generation can be used, while hydropower generation can be used in the wet season; to balance between power generation and energy storage. "But at present, this combination of hydropower and solar has not been fully utilized." Li Zhenguo said.

He believes that by 2030, solar will have the conditions to replace traditional energy on a large scale, and the scale of solar may reach the initial stage of the gigawatt level.

Source: China Reform Daily