[Beijing, China, December 22, 2023] The 2023 Tsinghua University "Carbon Neutrality Economy" Forum commenced today in Beijing, bringing together participants from government and industry organizations, experts, scholars, and representatives of leading energy enterprises. The forum's central theme is "Carbon Neutrality Powering High-Quality Development," with the attendees discussing the overall strategy for achieving carbon neutrality while envisioning a low-carbon future.
Hou Jinlong, the President of Huawei Digital Power, was invited to attend the event where he delivered a keynote speech on "Integrating Digital and Power Electronics Technologies to Advance the Progress of a New Power System and a Modern Energy System." During the forum, China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (SINOPEC), in partnership with Tsinghua University and other enterprises, including Huawei Digital Power, launched the "Carbon Neutrality Ecological Partnership Program." The program's objective is to collaborate and promote a green economy and technological innovation, ultimately leading to the goal of carbon neutrality.
Hou Jinlong delivered the keynote speech at the 2023 Tsinghua University "Carbon Neutrality Economy" Forum
Hou Jinlong emphasized that achieving carbon neutrality has become a significant journey that guides societal transformation. He pointed out that decarbonization, electrification, digitization, and intelligence are shaping the energy industry's trajectory. Huawei Digital Power is founded on integrating bit, watt, heat, and battery technologies, collectively known as the 4T technologies. The company uses "Bit" to manage "Watt" to construct safe, efficient, green, and intelligent solutions for clean power generation, mobility electrification, and green ICT power infrastructure. These efforts aim to facilitate the transition from a high-carbon to a low-carbon society and ultimately progress toward zero-carbon.
Clean energy bases are crucial in clean power generation and are gradually transitioning toward a multi-energy synergy model that includes wind, solar, hydro, thermal, storage, and hydrogen. However, current clean energy bases face grid security and operational safety challenges due to their high proportions of renewable energy and power electronic equipment. To advance new energy sources as the main power supply, it is essential to ensure that wind and solar power generation exhibit the same grid characteristics as traditional synchronous generators. Huawei Digital Power addresses these challenges through continuous technological innovation and practical experience, leveraging grid-forming technology with integrated photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage systems (ESSs). This innovation allows PV power generation to actively support the grid, enabling it to become a main energy source.
The grid-forming technology, which integrates PV and ESSs, has been validated through multiple projects worldwide. Huawei Digital Power collaborated with its customer to establish the world's first gigawatt-level independent microgrid project in the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia. This involved deploying a 400 MW PV system and a 1.3 GWh microgrid ESS, both utilizing grid-forming technology. This innovative approach allows each power conversion system (PCS) to emulate the stable operation of traditional synchronous generators, ensuring a 100% supply of green energy for the Red Sea Project. In early 2023, Huawei Digital Power conducted the world's first grid-forming performance test in Qinghai Province, China, validating the technology's active support capabilities in integrating renewable energy sources into the grid. This includes improving grid operations and facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources.
In mobility electrification, the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation industry is through the coordinated development of new energy vehicles (NEVs), charging infrastructure, and the power grid. However, inconvenient charging experiences, range anxiety, and cost-effectiveness are the main factors that impact users' decisions to purchase NEVs. The construction of high-quality and well-coordinated charging infrastructure is crucial to improving the charging experience, ultimately accelerating the comprehensive electrification of the automotive industry. The increasing maturity of third-generation power semiconductors, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride, combined with high-rate power batteries, propels NEVs toward high-voltage and fast-charging capabilities. In addition to B and C-class vehicles, A-class and commercial vehicles, including heavy trucks and buses, will soon adopt this technology. This transition will reduce battery requirements, significantly lower overall vehicle manufacturing costs and prices, improve consumer charging experiences and enhance the overall market competitiveness of NEVs.
Hou Jinlong emphasized the importance of accelerating the construction of high-quality charging infrastructure, focusing on ultra-fast and fast charging. The strategy of "ultra-fast charging," "wide coverage," and ensuring that "where there are roads, there is ultra-fast charging, and NEVs use new energy" will enable NEV users to travel beyond the city and into the countryside, thereby addressing charging challenges and alleviating range anxiety. To achieve wide coverage, Hou Jinlong proposed prioritizing the construction of "ultra-fast charging stations" at China's nearly 110,000 gas stations and nearly 8,000 highway rest areas. Urban areas should build ultra-fast charging stations, particularly "public stations" and "dedicated stations," to create a one-kilometer ultra-fast charging circle within cities. By integrating PV, ESS, charging, discharging, and detection technologies and incorporating vehicle-grid interaction, the aim is to establish a "grid-friendly" charging network.
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By utilizing PV technology and energy storage, green electricity can be provided, which reduces peak load demand, charging costs, capacity requirements, and expenses.
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Orderly charging can be implemented through virtual power plants (VPPs) and grid auxiliary services to achieve peak shaving and valley filling, frequency regulation, and enhanced grid stability.
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Urban emergency power supply assurance can be provided through vehicle-to-grid (V2G), which ensures city safety.
This strategy will transform a large fleet of NEVs into a massive "portable energy storage" system, allowing for flexible and adjustable resources for the new power grid. It is essential to manage the charging and discharging of these vehicles to ensure the secure operation of the power grid and the development of the new power system. In addition, gas stations will transform from "oil and gas stations" to comprehensive energy service stations that offer "charging and hydrogen" services. Huawei Digital Power provides PV+ESS+Charger solutions and the DigiPower Management Platform, facilitating energy dispatch management, PV+ESS integration, and high-power ultra-fast charging. This enables fast charging services similar to refueling services, transforming traditional gas stations into "oil, gas, hydrogen, and electricity" integrated energy service stations that are safe, reliable, green, low-carbon, digitally intelligent, and offer a positive service experience.
Huawei Digital Power is partnering with customers and collaborators to launch a series of initiatives using Huawei's fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast charging solution, which can achieve charging speeds of "one kilometer in one second"[*]. The plan is to construct over 100,000 Huawei fully liquid-cooled ultra-fast and fast charging stations across more than 340 cities and major highways in China by 2024.
These initiatives include:
1. Establishing an "urban-wide network" in over 50 cities, including Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chongqing, to drive the industry toward high-quality development.
2. Constructing a high-quality "Ultra-Fast Charging Network" covering over 20 highways, intensifying the deployment of ultra-fast charging infrastructure at highway rest areas to ensure peace of mind for NEV owners during long-distance journeys.
3. Deploying ultra-fast charging stations along the 318 Sichuan-Tibet Ultra-Fast Charging Green Corridor, creating a green, low-carbon cultural and tourism corridor.
Hou Jinlong strongly advocates that achieving carbon neutrality is a shared responsibility across various industries. Huawei Digital Power dedicates itself to continuous innovation, maintaining its role as a leader in technology products. Collaborating closely with its partners, the company strives to generate enduring value for customers and industries, playing a pivotal role in creating a more sustainable and prosperous future.
[*]: The charging speed is based on laboratory-specific environmental testing and may vary in actual conditions.
