NEA Continues Restriction Plan – pv International Magazine

On June 4, o National Energy Administration China’s (NEA) has issued new rules setting target levels for renewable energy use in each province of the country. This policy change is intended to allow power grid operators in provincial China to raise the threshold for curtailing wind and solar energy from 5% to 10%. The NEA concluded that in areas with favorable resource conditions, renewable energy target requirements could be relaxed accordingly, with a minimum target of not less than 90%. The previous target threshold was 95%. NEA stressed that an annual dynamic assessment will be carried out based on consumption patterns, noting that network acceptance capacity constraints must be taken into account. These new regulations should encourage the development of energy storage projects across the country, NEA added. In 2018, the NEA introduced a 5% cap. This meant that the utilization rate of solar and wind energy projects in individual Chinese provinces could not fall below 95%. The goal then was to ensure the efficient use of renewable energy installations and protect the return on investment of energy companies. However, enforcement of this policy has placed tight limits on the scale of renewable energy projects, particularly in regions with high project abandonment rates, where approval and development of new projects have been severely restricted. Despite advances in photovoltaic technologies that have led to noticeable reductions in installation costs and better returns on investments in energy projects, state-owned utilities are limited in setting installation targets due to current restrictive regulations. As a result, many projects have problems obtaining building permits. Moreover, the state’s ambitious ultra-high-voltage transmission network, which requires significant investment and is developing slowly, cannot effectively address this problem.

imagine made headlines after signing a key UK energy supply deal. The contract covers the supply of battery energy storage systems for the Cellarhead project in the UK, which boasts a significant capacity of 300 MW/624 MWh. Construction of the Cellarhead project is due to start this year, with grid connection expected by 2026. Once completed, the plant will be among the largest energy storage plants in the UK. Envision, in cooperation with Ameresco, will provide EPC+O&M services to Atlantic Green, the investor of the project. Ameresco will oversee the engineering, procurement, construction and long-term operations and maintenance of the Cellarhead project, while Vision Energy Storage will operate the complete AC/DC energy storage equipment, SCADA and EMS systems for the station.