电力工业的储能时代

风电、太阳能发电等新能源的开发利用正迅速发展,由于新能源发电大都具有随机性、间歇性,因而将使电力工业进入储能时代。最近30年来,世界能源领域有3个变化:一是环境问题由区域性问题变成全球性问题;二是因化石能源顶峰论和枯竭论导致化石能源恐慌;三是化石能源价格暴涨。由此把全球能源利用推向第三次能源大转换,用新能源发电替代化石能源发电,并催生了智能电网。电力工业在100多年的历史中,前后经历了舞伴时代、电力需求侧管理时代,现在为了发展新能源和智能电网,电力工业将进入储能时代。中国在最近20年内,无论是在需求侧管理方面还是在需求响应方面的工作都优于工业发达国家,中国电力工业已进入了电力需求侧管理时代。大容量储能是新能源开发的"瓶颈",是智能电网的"瓶颈",要想加快新能源和智能电网的开发,就要把大容量储能放在战略位置上,抓好大容量储能技术的突破。现在技术比较成熟的储能设施是抽水蓄能电站,但是投资大、能量转换损耗大,不可能全靠它来解决大容量储能问题。主要问题还是技术不成熟和政策问题,应加大对大容量储能技术的研究开发力度,在新能源发电规划和智能电网规划中要有相应的大容量储能规划,同时要尽快理顺电价。

Energy Storage for the Power Industry

The development and utilization of new energy sources such as wind and solar energy are growing rapidly.As most new energy-based power generation methods are stochastic and intermittent,the power in dustry will enter an era of energy storage.Over the past 30 years,three major changes have taken place in the world＇s energy sector.Firstly,environmental issues have become a global concern from a regional one.Sec- ondly,the fossil energy peaking theory and depletion theory resulted in a panic over fossil energy.Thirdly,the prices of fossil energy have gone up dramatically.These have pushed global energy utilization towards a third wave of energy conversion.People are trying to use new energy sources to replace fossil energy in power generation and smart grids are also being midwifed.Over the past more than 100 years,the power industry has undergone two phases - the Dancing Partner Era and the Electricity Demand Side Management Era.In order to develop new energy and smart grids,the power industry will enter an era of energy storage.China has excelled developed countries in the work on both demand side management and demand response in the past nearly 20 years and the Chinese power industry has entered the demand side management era.Large-capacity energy storage is a bottleneck in developing smart grids.To accelerate the development of new energy and smart grids,large-capacity energy storage must be developed as a strategic option.Effort should be made to try to make a breakthrough in large-capacity energy storage technology.A relatively proven energy storage method currently available is the pumped storage power station.However,such facility requires too high an in- vestment and the loss in energy conversion is large.For these reasons,pumped storage power stations cannot solely serve as a solution to large-capacity energy storage.The main problems currently faced by the power industry still lie in immature technology and policies.Effort should be stepped up to research and develop large-capacity energy storage technology.Large-capacity energy storage must be incorporated into new energy- based power generation and smart grid plans.A reasonable and well-functioning power pricing mechanism shall also be established as soon as possible.