Lately, the Ministry of Ecology and Atmosphere issued the primary batch of methodologies for 4 voluntary greenhouse fuel emission discount tasks: afforestation carbon sequestration, grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology, grid-connected offshore wind energy technology, and mangrove forest building.
Photo voltaic vitality, as an inexhaustible and renewable vitality supply on Earth, is often related to photovoltaic energy technology. Nonetheless, in relation to photo voltaic thermal energy technology, it could nonetheless be unfamiliar.
The Gonghe CSP undertaking – Cosin Photo voltaic (as then Supcon) was the photo voltaic area provider. Cosin Photo voltaic is at the moment in building on the tower and photo voltaic area for the 100 MW Jinta Zhongguang CSP undertaking, one of many thirty CSP tasks now in improvement and one in every of three in building as of 2023.
What’s photo voltaic thermal energy technology? How does it differ from photovoltaic energy technology? What’s the emission discount potential of grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks? What significance does it maintain as one of many first 4 methodologies launched?
As a collaborating group within the improvement of the methodologies, Li Guangming, Vice Chairman of the Nationwide Photo voltaic Thermal Alliance and Deputy Secretary of the Social gathering Committee/Director/Basic Supervisor of China Guangdong Nuclear Energy Holding Co., Ltd., accepted an interview with a reporter from China Environmental Information; Xu Weixing
XW: What’s the significance of the methodology for grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks as one of many first batch of 4 launched methodologies?
LG: Grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks have a number of capabilities, together with inexperienced energy technology, vitality storage, and peak shaving. They’ll safely, effectively, and for an extended length retailer vitality and supply steady energy provide. It’s an efficient technique of safely and reliably changing conventional fossil vitality sources, in addition to an indispensable part of a brand new sort of energy system, taking part in a constructive position in selling the achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets.
Nonetheless, grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks at the moment face challenges comparable to extreme preliminary funding and comparatively excessive technology prices. Subsequently, below the present electrical energy worth coverage, the large-scale improvement of photo voltaic thermal energy faces sure challenges. The discharge of the voluntary emission discount methodology for photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks will help these enterprises in growing voluntary emission discount tasks, bettering undertaking returns, selling the appliance of photo voltaic thermal know-how, creating important social and financial advantages, and driving the scaled improvement of the photo voltaic thermal {industry}.
XW: What particular tasks does the grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy technology discuss with? How does it differ from photovoltaic energy technology tasks? What’s the present improvement standing of the {industry}?
LG: Photovoltaic energy technology is the know-how that straight converts photo voltaic vitality into electrical vitality. Photo voltaic thermal energy technology, then again, includes changing photo voltaic vitality into thermal vitality after which utilizing conventional thermal energy technology cycles to transform that thermal vitality into electrical vitality. Compared to photovoltaic energy technology, the method of changing thermal vitality into electrical vitality in photo voltaic thermal energy technology permits for the long-term storage of warmth. Subsequently, even within the absence of daylight at night time, it might probably nonetheless generate energy steadily. Moreover, it might probably function a versatile adjustment energy supply for speedy peak shaving, higher adapting to the sensible wants of China’s new energy system and selling the protected and steady operation of the facility grid.
In recent times, China has constructed numerous photo voltaic thermal energy technology demonstration tasks, successfully selling the development of our nation’s photo voltaic thermal know-how stage, and considerably enhancing the supporting capability of the photo voltaic thermal {industry}.
With the speedy improvement of the home new vitality {industry}, the “photo voltaic thermal+” mannequin will change into a key improvement route for subsequent photo voltaic thermal tasks. By coupling varied types of vitality comparable to photo voltaic thermal, photovoltaic, and wind energy, a complementary working mode can be fashioned, vastly bettering the effectivity of the brand new energy system. The “photo voltaic thermal+” mannequin will promote the institution of complete renewable vitality technology bases that combine photo voltaic thermal energy technology with photovoltaic energy technology and wind energy complementary regulation.
Concurrently, the development of large-scale built-in bases for wind and photo voltaic vitality storage will present a extra promising answer for the reform of the facility technology aspect in China’s vitality sector. The “Discover of the Basic Workplace of the Nationwide Power Administration on Selling the Massive-Scale Improvement of Photo voltaic Thermal Energy Technology” (Nationwide Power Workplace Complete Discover [2023] No. 28) proposes striving to attain an annual new building scale of about 3 million kilowatts for photo voltaic thermal energy technology nationwide through the “14th 5-12 months Plan” interval. Mixed with the development of latest vitality bases in desert, Gobi, and desert areas, a batch of photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks can be applied as quickly as attainable.
XW: In comparison with photovoltaic energy tasks, grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks are within the early levels of improvement, with comparatively small scale. Why have been they launched forward of photovoltaic energy tasks?
LG: Because the proportion of renewable vitality continues to extend, the peak-shifting and vitality storage benefits of photo voltaic thermal energy technology will change into extra distinguished. This aligns effectively with the pressing want for speedy peak-shifting energy sources for the protected and steady operation of the facility grid below the present situation of excessive proportions of unstable renewable vitality sources. It lays a safe and steady basis for constructing a brand new energy system dominated by new vitality. Nonetheless, photo voltaic thermal energy technology know-how is complicated, at the moment within the early levels of improvement, and has excessive prices. It requires funding and coverage assist from CCER to acquire carbon discount advantages and progressively obtain scale.
The precedence launch of the photo voltaic thermal energy technology methodology displays the encouragement and assist of the Ministry of Ecology and Atmosphere for the event of rising low-carbon applied sciences. This can promote the event of the photo voltaic thermal {industry}, contribute to the excellent inexperienced transformation of the economic system and society, facilitate inexperienced and low-carbon improvement of vitality, and scale back greenhouse fuel emissions. Photovoltaic energy technology, after greater than a decade of improvement, has matured in know-how and achieved industrial scale.
XW: Which grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks are relevant to this system? Which aren’t? What situations should tasks making use of this system meet?
LG: This system is relevant to 2 kinds of photo voltaic thermal energy tasks: first, unbiased grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks, and second, the grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy a part of “photo voltaic thermal+” built-in tasks. It doesn’t apply to off-grid photo voltaic thermal energy tasks or photo voltaic thermal heating tasks. Initiatives making use of this system should adjust to authorized and regulatory necessities, meet the event insurance policies of the photo voltaic thermal {industry}, and the photo voltaic thermal energy half should be linked to the grid, with the electrical energy generated from the grid-connected half independently metered.
XW: What concerns underlie the selection to exempt the extra evaluation for grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks? The methodology mentions obstacles on this area resulting from technical and funding dangers. What are these obstacles? How will the discharge of the methodology promote {industry} improvement?
LG: First, photo voltaic thermal energy technology remains to be within the early levels of commercial improvement, with a small industrial chain and total put in capability, and has not fashioned economies of scale. The funding price of tasks is excessive. At the moment, there are solely 9 photo voltaic thermal energy tasks with a scale of 50MW or above in operation nationwide, with an put in capability of 550,000 kilowatts and a unit put in funding of 25,000 to 30,000 yuan/kW. The deliberate put in capability is 3 million kilowatts, with about 40 tasks and a unit put in funding of roughly 16,000 to twenty,000 yuan/kW. Though most tools is domestically produced, the funding remains to be excessive, far exceeding different renewable vitality sources.
Second, photo voltaic thermal know-how routes are comparatively complicated, and building and operation prices are excessive. In comparison with typical wind and photovoltaic tasks, photo voltaic thermal programs are extra complicated, involving varied system integrations comparable to warmth assortment, warmth switch, warmth storage, steam technology, and standard energy technology programs. It combines a number of technical fields comparable to optics, thermodynamics, supplies science, mechanical and automation management, making it completely different from typical energy manufacturing and conventional photo voltaic thermal utilization. It requires interdisciplinary and cross-domain efforts, leading to important difficulties in undertaking building and operation, resulting in excessive prices. The present price of the perfect photo voltaic thermal energy technology know-how is roughly 0.7 to 0.8 yuan per kWh.
Third, modifications in photo voltaic thermal electrical energy worth subsidy insurance policies have additional decreased the financial viability of tasks. Within the first batch of 20 photo voltaic thermal energy technology demonstration undertaking lists launched by the Nationwide Power Administration in September 2016 (eligible for a sponsored electrical energy worth of 1.15 yuan/kWh), solely seven tasks have been efficiently commissioned. Different tasks have been stagnated or deliberate resulting from unmet financial expectations. In 2020, the Ministry of Finance issued the “Opinions on Selling the Wholesome Improvement of Non-Hydro Renewable Power Energy Technology,” which clearly said that ranging from 2021, the central authorities will not subsidize newly accredited photo voltaic thermal tasks and can implement grid parity. The photo voltaic thermal electrical energy worth was decreased from 1.15 yuan to the provincial benchmark coal-fired electrical energy worth.
As a result of excessive price of photo voltaic thermal energy technology and the cancellation of nationwide subsidies, native monetary subsidy insurance policies are nonetheless unclear, and the whole {industry}’s improvement is in a troublesome scenario. By the top of 2021, the put in capability of accomplished photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks in China was 588,000 kilowatts, solely 10% of the event goal of 5 million kilowatts proposed within the “thirteenth 5-12 months Plan” for renewable vitality improvement. It didn’t meet expectations.
Cosin Photo voltaic – photo voltaic area of heliostats at Delingha
Along with unbiased photo voltaic thermal energy vegetation, the nation encourages photo voltaic thermal as an adjustable energy supply to cooperate with wind energy. Since 2021, a complete of 48 built-in “photo voltaic thermal+” tasks with confirmed improvement rights have been applied nationwide, primarily distributed in six provinces (autonomous areas): Qinghai, Gansu, Jilin, Xinjiang, Interior Mongolia, and Tibet.
Amongst them, the unit put in funding of the photo voltaic thermal a part of the built-in tasks is about 16,000 to twenty,000 yuan/kW. Influenced by elements comparable to photo voltaic thermal electrical energy worth, photo voltaic thermal-photovoltaic ratio, warmth storage capability, and electrical heater energy, the return on funding of the photo voltaic thermal half in built-in tasks varies considerably however stays at a low stage, with important, industry-recognized additionality.
The discharge of this voluntary emission discount methodology for photo voltaic thermal energy technology tasks will help photo voltaic thermal energy technology corporations in growing voluntary emission discount tasks, bettering undertaking returns, selling the appliance of photo voltaic thermal know-how, creating important social and financial advantages, and driving the scaled improvement of the photo voltaic thermal {industry}.
XW: How is the emission discount of grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks calculated? Is there any controversy relating to its scientific foundation? How possible is it? How is information accuracy ensured? What ought to stakeholders, comparable to undertaking house owners and third-party verification and inspection organizations, take note of?
LG: Grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks belong to the class of renewable vitality. The precept for calculating emission discount relies on the belief that, within the absence of the photo voltaic thermal energy undertaking, an equal quantity of electrical energy comes from the regional energy grid, and the emission discount is the quantity of emissions produced by the prevailing or newly added energy vegetation within the regional energy grid that generate an equal quantity of electrical energy. When it comes to emission discount calculation strategies, it aligns with the frequent practices of varied worldwide emission discount mechanisms. The method for undertaking emission discount is: Baseline Emissions – Challenge Emissions – Leakage.
For acquiring key parameters in emission discount calculation, grid-connected photo voltaic thermal energy tasks want to amass essential parameters, together with electrical energy and fossil gas consumption information (primarily pure fuel). The methodology imposes strict necessities on information sources, monitoring frequency, and monitoring tools. Cross-checking information from the Nationwide Grid and pure fuel corporations ensures that the information is monitorable, verifiable, and traceable.
Challenge house owners want to concentrate to 3 primary points: first, correctly document monitoring information, appoint a devoted particular person for meter studying, and usually document the information. Second, preserve monitoring tools by usually calibrating/testing units comparable to electrical energy meters and circulate meters; any points found must be promptly repaired or changed. Third, correctly archive all documentary proof, together with information monitoring data, monitoring tools calibration/testing experiences, electrical energy/pure fuel settlement vouchers, and different supporting supplies.
Third-party verification and inspection organizations primarily confirm the authenticity, accuracy, and reasonableness of monitoring information, guaranteeing that key parameters for emission discount calculation, comparable to on-grid electrical energy, off-grid electrical energy, and energy grid baseline emission elements, adjust to related necessities.
XW: How does the CCER methodology for photo voltaic thermal differ from the unique methodology and worldwide mechanisms? What concerns are there? Can it’s unified and interconnected in worldwide customary mutual recognition?
LG: The unique methodology “CM-001-V02 Renewable Power Grid-Linked Technology Methodology (Second Version)” and different worldwide voluntary emission discount methodologies for renewable vitality have a broader scope, appropriate for all renewable vitality tasks, together with wind energy, photovoltaics, hydropower, geothermal, and lots of others.
The CCER methodology narrows down the scope to concentrate on photo voltaic thermal energy technology. This exact assist aligns with China’s related {industry} coverage necessities and the event development of inexperienced and low-carbon applied sciences, particularly supporting photo voltaic thermal applied sciences with low carbon results however at the moment within the early levels of commercial improvement.
This strategy is according to worldwide practices. For instance, the Verified Carbon Normal (VCS) restricts particular kinds of renewable vitality tasks for sure nations. For China, solely centralized photo voltaic thermal and floating photovoltaic tasks are at the moment allowed to use.
As well as, this system absolutely considers industry-related technical specs and worldwide practices when it comes to undertaking boundary delineation, monitoring methodology choice, and information cross-checking strategies. The strategy to deciding on greenhouse fuel sources, calculating emission reductions, and different concerns aligns with worldwide mechanisms such because the United Nations Clear Improvement Mechanism (CDM) and VCS, offering a scientific foundation for mutual recognition.
XW: At the moment, are there any statistics on the variety of such photo voltaic thermal CCER tasks and their emission reductions? How is the income, and might you present an instance?
Li Guangming: As of October 2023, there are a complete of 8 operational photo voltaic thermal energy tasks with a mixed put in capability of 588 MW. All of them are unbiased photo voltaic thermal energy tasks. Taking a 50 MW photo voltaic thermal energy undertaking in Qinghai province for instance, with an annual working hours of 2500, the annual on-grid electrical energy is roughly 125,000 MWh, leading to an annual emission discount of about 80,000 tons. Calculating at a CCER worth of 40 yuan/ton to 60 yuan/ton, it might probably add an annual income of three to five million yuan to the photo voltaic thermal undertaking.
