"Renewable energy within the distribution area and within a reasonable range around the distribution area is allowed to be connected to the incremental distribution network at an appropriate voltage level." Recently, the national development and Reform Commission said in the reply to the "eight suggestions on further improving and implementing the reform policy of incremental distribution business" (hereinafter referred to as the "reply").
The reporter noted that the national development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration issued the "management measures for orderly opening of distribution network business" as early as 2016, the "notice on developing pilot market-oriented trading of distributed generation" issued in 2017, and the "notice on actively promoting the work of wind power and photovoltaic power generation on the grid without subsidy and parity" issued in 2019, The policies of incremental distribution network access to renewable energy and distributed energy are clarified, but few pilot projects of incremental distribution network access are successful.
"This is undoubtedly a ray of dawn urgently needed in the incremental distribution reform." Many incremental distribution owners who heard the news sighed: "this is the second time that the national development and Reform Commission has made a detailed and clear decision on the access issue."
Clearer policies boost owners' confidence
The reply clearly supports the coordinated development of incremental distribution network, distributed generation, microgrid and integrated energy; For the distributed generation included in the national pilot demonstration in the incremental distribution network, the electricity transaction can be free of the transmission fee that does not involve the previous voltage level, and the standard of network passing fee is determined by the provincial price department according to the access voltage level and the scope of transmission and power consumption.
Chen Jian, chairman of Liaoning Lvyuan, told reporters that the "reply" further clarified the dominant position of the incremental distribution network "network", allowing renewable energy access within the incremental distribution network area and within a reasonable range around, and also clarified the standard of "network passing fee". If the access does not involve the voltage of the previous level, the power transmission fee can be exempted.
According to Wu Junhong, director of Smart Energy Office of East China Electric Power Design Institute, the "reply" has boosted the confidence of practitioners of incremental distribution reform“ The national development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) have studied and replied this time, indicating that the government departments pay close attention to the practical problems encountered in the incremental distribution reform. For example, for the price mechanism of the incremental distribution network, the reply has made it clear that the relevant policies will be further improved. "
Zhan Shuguang, a lawyer from Beijing Xinnuo law firm, said: "the policy of renewable energy and distributed generation access to incremental distribution network has existed for a long time, but it is not specific and clear stated in the reply, which leads to deviations in the process of policy implementation《 "The letter of reply is good for reform, but its implementation depends on whether the supporting policies and measures can be implemented at the same time."
Barriers to renewable energy access
Since 2016, several documents of the national development and Reform Commission and the national energy administration have made clear the relevant rules and regulations for incremental distribution network access to renewable energy and distributed power. Why hasn't a pilot project been successfully accessed so far? How many hurdles do you need to overcome if you want to successfully access?
A pilot owner of incremental power distribution in North China, who did not want to be named, told the reporter: "in order to access renewable energy, power grid enterprises need to issue a consumption report. The report has been unable to come down. Even the renewable energy projects in the region can not be connected to the grid for a long time."
Wu Junhong said that at present, such power supply is still facing a series of practical operation problems when it is connected to the incremental distribution network“ How should incremental distribution network pay for subsidized renewable energy projects? In addition to the renewable energy projects with clear nature of wind power and photovoltaic, how to define the types of comprehensive energy projects that meet the access conditions? Is the distributed energy or new energy power stations around the incremental distribution network allowed to access the incremental distribution network nearby? How to define the reasonable scope of the surrounding area? "
In Zhan Shuguang's view, it is necessary to implement the rights of distribution network as a "power grid", such as dispatching and operation right, network interconnection right, power access right, market trading right, income right and so on. Only by implementing these rights can the distribution network really have the ability to undertake corresponding obligations and release the dividend of distribution reform. Chen Xi, Secretary General of Chongqing rationing and selling industry association, said that on this basis, local governments should strengthen the promotion of pilot projects of distributed generation market-oriented trading.
Access to traditional power supply is not equal to pull a dedicated line
In terms of incremental distribution network access to traditional power sources and self provided power plants, the reply said, "to avoid the phenomenon of conventional units' pulling special lines' and developing self provided power plants in the name of incremental distribution network." This reply caused many owners and experts to discuss.
Wu Junhong said that the "special line" refers to the direct power supply from the power plant to the users, including the power flow and electricity settlement, which is directly between the power plant and the users, bypassing the public power grid. Therefore, it should not be the same concept to connect incremental distribution network to conventional power supply as a public power grid identity rather than a user identity.
Chen Xi agreed: "incremental distribution network, provincial power grid and local power grid belong to the property of power grid enterprises, and should enjoy the same status as traditional power supply‘ "Special line" refers to the behavior that power generation enterprises directly supply power to users without power transmission and distribution. There is an essential difference between the two. "
Zhan Shuguang said frankly that this reply is a misunderstanding of the joint proposal“ In other words, only when the public power grid can not meet the power supply needs of the distribution network or can not be connected within a reasonable period of time, the distribution network can be directly connected to the traditional power supply; It is also possible for self provided power plants to be converted into public power plants. Self provided power plants meeting the planning and environmental protection requirements are encouraged to be converted into public power plants supplying power to the distribution network. "
"The biggest difficulty of incremental distribution network access to traditional power supply is that there is no clear policy support. The reasons behind this may be various, including technical reasons such as power balance, and price management mechanism such as cross subsidy. But all problems can ultimately be solved through the joint efforts of government and enterprises and through scientific and reasonable professional methods. " Wu Junhong said.