Hebei leads in green power transition

A wind farm seen in Zhangbei county, Hebei province. (CHINA DAILY)

Hebei, a province in North China known for its traditional resources and high energy consumption, has achieved a significant milestone in its comprehensive green transformation, by making its renewable energy capacity take the lead instead of coal power.

The total installed capacity of wind and solar power in the province surpassed 100 gigawatts on Saturday, accounting for over 60 percent of the total installed power capacity in the province, placing Hebei at the forefront nationwide, according to the Hebei Development and Reform Commission.

The milestone was reached as a batch of wind and solar projects, including a 600,000-kilowatt photovoltaic project in Shangyi county, Zhangjiakou, were connected to the grid for power generation on Nov 30.

Zhangjiakou, located in the transitional zone between the Mongolian Plateau and the North China Plain, is one of the regions in North China with abundant wind and solar energy resources.

It is an important national production base for renewable energy and a key node for electricity transmission in China.

"In recent years, Hebei has been vigorously promoting wind and solar projects, accelerating the construction of a robust smart grid, enhancing power regulation capabilities, and facilitating the high-quality and high-proportion integration of clean energy sources," Yue Lixin, an official with the Hebei Development and Reform Commission, was quoted as saying in a report by Hebei Daily on Sunday.

He added that this new development in Zhangjiakou marked a historic shift from coal-dominated power generation to its gradual replacement by wind and solar power, establishing itself as one of Hebei's primary energy sources.

However, the intermittency of wind and solar power poses challenges due to fluctuations in wind speeds and sunlight.

After more than a decade of technological breakthroughs, Hebei has transformed the electricity generated from wind and solar sources into steady green power, continuously flowing into the national grid.

Hebei has developed a dozen world-leading technologies in the transformation, including creating the world's largest capacity device for alternating current (AC) energy consumption and a direct current (DC) circuit breaker with the world's highest voltage level, according to Jin Haiwang, a senior expert at the State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co.

Currently, the province produces over 150 billion kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually, saving more than 45 million metric tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 120 million tons, according to the commission.

According to the province's plan, Hebei is accelerating the construction of a diversified energy system comprising wind, solar, hydroelectric, nuclear and hydrogen, aiming to establish a preliminary new energy system by 2030.

Hebei's leading wind and solar grid-connected capacity in the country and innovative applications of renewable energy technologies are addressing the challenges of green energy integration, providing a Chinese solution for combating climate change, Chen Yong, who is in charge of sustainable urban energy projects at the International Renewable Energy Agency, was quoted as saying by Hebei Daily.