On April 7, 2022, the initializing conference for the Special Project 5.1 “Key Technologies for Aggregation and Interactive Regulation of Large-scale Flexible Resource Virtual Power Plants” of National Key R&D Program “Energy Storage and Smart Grid Technology” was held in Beijing. The leading unit of this project was China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd, the project leader is Professor Kang Chongqing from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics of Tsinghua University. The project was undertaken by a joint research team of “Production — Study — Research — Application”, particularly including Tsinghua University, Tianjin University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, China Electric Power Research Institute, State Grid Smart Grid Research Institute Co., Ltd., State Grid Shanghai Energy Internet Research Institute Co., Ltd., State Grid Electronic Commerce Co., Ltd., and three provincial-level power companies, namely State Grid Zhejiang, State Grid Shanghai, and State Grid Hebei.

The conference was presided over by Li Qingfeng, director of the Science and Technology Department of China Electric Power Research Institute, and Gao Keli, vice president of China Electric Power Research Institute, delivered a welcome speech. 70 people, including Liu Jia, Director of the Industrial Development Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Liu Jianming, Deputy Director of the Electric Power Informatization Committee of the Chinese Society of Electrical Engineering, Yang Xusheng, Chief Planning and Management Expert of State Grid Integrated Energy Service Group Co., Ltd., and Pei Wei, Researcher of the Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as people from State Grid Science and Technology Department, Tsinghua University and other leading units and participating units, attended the conference.

At the conference, the project leader, Professor Kang Chongqing, made a detailed report on the main research content, scientific issues and technical routes, milestone plans and expected results and other project implementation plans of the project. The five project leaders, Chen Qixin, long-term associate professor of Tsinghua University, Professorate Senior Engineer Su Jian of China Electric Power Research Institute, Professor Ai Qian of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Professorate Senior Engineer Ji Yujiao of State Grid Shanghai Energy Internet Research Institute, and Pan Weiwei, Deputy Chief Economist of State Grid Zhejiang, reported the project implementation plan, research progress and work plan, respectively. Experts at the conference fully affirmed the great significance of the establishment of the project to support the national dual-carbon strategy and the construction of a new power system, and put forward constructive opinions on the organization and implementation of the project, especially the project demonstration. All participating units expressed that they will attach great importance to the scientific planning and organization and implementation of the project, continue to improve the working mechanism, improve the operation efficiency, and actively explore the construction of a virtual power plant with information, value and energy coupling and interaction.

Gao Keli emphasized that the project team should promote the research and implementation of the project solidly, and organize and manage the project scientifically. China Electric Power Research Institute will strictly fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of the project leading unit, fully assist the project leader Professor Kang Chongqing, and cooperate with other participating to ensure the smooth implementation of the project according to a high standard.

Director Liu Jia highly affirmed the preliminary technical research and development preparation and organizational management of the project, and emphasized that this project, as the first project launched in the energy storage and smart grid project in the 14th Five-Year Plan, should play a leading role. The group and each subject team should earnestly undertake their respective responsibilities and tasks, and systematically predict the risks in the implementation process at the beginning of the project, and make preventive plans.

Professor Kang Chongqing fully affirmed the suggestions given by the experts and made a statement on behalf of the project team. He made it clear that he would cooperate with the leading unit to do a good job in the organization and coordination of project technology research and development and engineering demonstration, actively build a virtual power plant academic ecosystem, and strive to provide a solid technical support and practical foundation for the construction of virtual power plants in China through the research of this project.

The project leader, Professor Kang Chongqing from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics of Tsinghua University, presided over the internal discussion meeting of the project in the afternoon, and had a lively discussion with the participants around the constructive opinions put forward by the experts. He put forward specific requirements for the key time nodes of the project, milestone plans and construction of demonstration projects. The meeting also introduced the organization of the special issue of “Scaled and Flexible Resource Virtual Power Plants” for power system automation. Finally, the project team members reached a consensus on the implementation plan of the project and announced the establishment of a project leading group, a special office, an expert advisory group, and a demonstration project management group to ensure the orderly and efficient progress of the project.

Project Description:

The project of “Key Technologies for Aggregation and Interactive Regulation of Large-scale Flexible Resource Virtual Power Plants” was approved and set up in 2021. Based on the national strategic needs of “energy storage and smart grid technology” and under the “dual-carbon” goal for constructing a new type power system centered at new energies, it aims to realize the efficient aggregation and deployment of large-scale flexible resources, effectively solve the problem of insufficient flexibility and adjustment capacity of the power system, and fully tap the potential of large-scale distributed flexible resources to solve many technical difficulties in the current interactive regulation of large-scale flexible resources.