Smart Grid Projects in China

In terms of progress towards a smart grid, China is already leading the world for Wide Area Monitoring systems (WAMs) using phasor measurement units based on Global Positioning System (GPS) with more than one thousand phased measurement units installed. The installation of a Wide Area Monitoring system (WAMs) was part of the government’s previous five-year plan. By 2012 the State Grid had a target for phasor measurement units (PMU) sensors at all generators of 300 megawatts and above, and all substations of 500 kV and above. Of the substations installed, all of the 110 kW substations and most of the 35 kV and 66 kV substations have an ISA system (International Society of Automation) and can be controlled remotely. New substations are likely to conform to the IEC61850 standard developed by the state grid. There is an additional requirement for the use of the same PMUs from the same Chinese manufacturer and stabilisers conforming to state specification. The communication system used will be via broadband using a private network avoiding time delays.

To date the State Grid as deployed extensive fibre optic networking at high voltage substations throughout China. It is estimated that over one million kilometres of fibre optic channels are in place. The State Grid has started applying its SG 186 project throughout the country. This project has a goal to build a unified and integrated corporate information platform including 8 business application systems and 6 information supporting systems.

While there has been limited new distribution automation capacity in the last seven years, due to few incentives and poor return on investment. Considerable progress before then resulted in 200 cities having distribution automation systems in place. Now, with interest in smart grid and growing demand for power supply reliability, there has been a resurgence in interest in distribution automation with the State Grid conducting distribution automation trial projects in Beijing, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Yinchuan, and the China Southern Grid is investing significantly in distribution automation.

Challenges for Battery Storage with EVs

          

• Lithium supplies may be constrained in the mid-to-long-term, although this is contentious and at least 100 years of reserves have been reported, not including the potential for recycling. Constraints, if any, will be caused by a lack of online capacity. South American mines, particularly Bolivia, account for 55% of lithium production and Australia for 35% of production;
• Supplies of rare earth metals, particularly neodymium, used in magnets in motors in electric vehicles. Toyota is developing an induction motor that does not use rare earth metals;
• Battery safety and reliability is an issue because lithium batteries can overheat and are affected by extreme temperatures altering performance levels;
• Poor battery life and low range of current models on the market;
• High cost of vehicles and availability;
• Lack of charging infrastructure, especially charging points at residents, workplaces and other sites that are frequently visited supplies by three-phase electricity. Two main types of charging stations are available: a slow charging point that takes 6 to 8 hours to fully charge a battery and a fast charging point that can charge a battery in half an hour;
• Grid capacity, as a high localised concentration of electric vehicles could push transformers and grids to the limit if a significant number of electric vehicles are charging at peak times in a grid-constrained area.
• The ‘chicken and egg situation’ – customers will not buy vehicles unless there is sufficient infrastructure and large-scale infrastructure will not be implemented until customers buy enough vehicles to justify the investment;
• Safe and easy to use infrastructure e.g. the prevention of overloading of the grid by a demand response, vehicle-to-grid system such as GridPoint and V2Green smart grid software that prevents too many vehicles being grid-connected at one time.
• Competition from conventional fuel sources and other alternative fuel sources which are further along in the development pathway such as biofuels, which already fit into the current infrastructure, and compressed natural gas.