On April 6, Xu Fei, a researcher from the State Key Laboratory of New Type Power System Operation and Control, led a team to visit State Grid Xin Yuan Group Co., Ltd., and Wang Yongtan, Deputy General Manager and Party Committee Member of State Grid Xinyuan Group, Ye Hong, Director of Technology and Information Department of State Grid Xinyuan Group, and Ni Jinbing, General Manager of Pumped Energy Storage Technology and Economy Research Institute of State Grid Xinyuan Group, et al. shared their views with Xu Fei and his team on key issues such as the construction and operation of pumped storage to support the new type power system. Liang Xu, Jiang Xinjian, Wang Kui, Wang Chao, Sima Yuan and some others from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) of Tsinghua University participated in the meeting.

Xu Fei first introduced the construction and layout of the State Key Laboratory of New Type Power System Operation and Control, and then each teacher introduced the key technologies of variable speed pumped storage units, advanced power electronics multi-level converters, digital pumped storage power stations and other contents respectively. Both sides exchanged extensive views on the functions and positioning of variable speed pumped storage, the evolution path of new type power systems, experimental capacity building, and follow-up scientific research cooperation, which laid a good foundation for future cooperation.

Wang Yongtan, Deputy General Manager of State Grid Xinyuan Group, pointed out that pumped storage is an important component of the new type power system, and accelerating the development of pumped storage is an important measure to help achieve the goal of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The large-scale and high-proportion access of new energy sources such as wind and solar powers to the system puts higher demands on the flexible regulation ability and service capability of pumped storage units for the power grid. Facing the opportunities and challenges brought by the rapid development of pumped storage power generation, State Grid Xinyuan Group hopes to work together with the State Key Laboratory of New Type Power System, take scientific and technological innovation as the lead, carry out joint research and development in the core fields of advanced equipment development and value research of pumped storage power generation, and make joint efforts to better play the role of pumped storage power generation in the new type power system.

State Grid Xinyuan Group is a subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China, mainly responsible for the development, construction, operation and management of pumped storage power stations and some conventional hydropower stations within the operating area of State Grid Corporation. As an organic part of the power grid business in the “one body and four wings” development layout of State Grid Corporation, it manages a total power station capacity of over 70 million kilowatts, carries out feasibility studies and pre-feasibility studies for pumped storage projects of nearly 60 million kilowatts, and is the largest pumped storage enterprise in the world in terms of construction and operation scale.