POWER June 2016 - 14

And it may well exceed its targets: The
World Resources Institute projected that
China will actually reduce its carbon intensity
48% from 2005 levels by 2020,
surpassing its original target of a 40% to
45% reduction. One of the major initiatives
to achieve its climate targets is an
emissions trading program, which will go
beyond its seven regional pilots to nationwide
coverage by 2017. The plan also
sets goals of slashing energy intensity
by 15%, quantifying-for the first time
ever-guidance on energy consumption
control. It states, specifically, that China
should limit its energy use to five billion
tons of standard " coal equivalent. "
The country has already moved forward
on these efforts. On April 25, the National
Development and Reform Commission and
National Energy Administration suspended
or slowed plans for more than 100 GW
of coal-fired capacity-nearly 200 plants
that are in development but not yet under
construction-to curb overcapacity in
the generation sector. The agencies noted
that with the economic slowdown, power
demand has fallen dramatically. The order
also calls on coal-fired power plants to
achieve ultra-low emissions and energy
efficiency, and it requires plants that fail
to meet national standards to shut down.
Meanwhile, the 13th plan calls for the reduced
use of untreated coal-as well as a
diminished demand for coal with the use
of more renewables and natural gas. The
country will continue, under the plan,
to invest in major new hydropower and
nuclear projects, and it also plans more
ultra-high-voltage power transmission
and smart grids.
Nuclear will double over the next five
years: Compared to the current capacity
of about 27 GW, the plan calls for 58
GW of operating capacity by 2020 with
another 30 GW under construction by
that date. Along with completion of the
four AP1000 units under construction at
Sanmen in Zhejiang province (Figure 3)
and at Haiyang in Shandong province by
2017, the plan envisions the construction
and demonstration of a CAP1400
plant-the Chinese-built enlarged version
of the AP1000-at Huaneng Group's
Shidaowan site. It also calls for the construction
and demonstration of four Hualong
One projects at the Fuqing plant in
Fujian province and the Fangchenggang
plant in Guangxi province by 2020, as
well as for the construction of inland
nuclear plants.
These measures are to kick-start the
domestic components sector while curbing
air and water pollution. The plan, for
12
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POWER | June 2016
example, sets forth specific goals for the
reduction of water consumption by 23%
from 2015 levels by 2020. Among several
other environmental targets set out
in the 13th plan is the mandatory 15%
reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen
oxides by 2020. The plan also requires
that the air quality of all cities at the
prefecture level and above must meet
" good " or " excellent " standards 80% of
the time.
" If these cities fail to meet China's
annual particulate matter (2.5) concentration
standard, they must reduce their
concentrations of this pollutant by 18%
over five years, " said Barbara Finamore, an
expert at the Natural Resources Defense
Council's China Program. The targets bolster
game-changing amendments to China's
Environmental Protection Law, which
went into effect in January 2015, she
noted, especially because the law steps up
enforcement efforts and even allows nongovernmental
organizations to take legal
action against polluters on behalf of the
public interest.
Proposal for Offshore Wind
Battery Storage Launched
Plans are under way to install a pilot
1-MWh lithium battery-based storage system
in 2018 at the world's first floating
wind farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
The " Batwind " system, to be installed
at the Hywind pilot park offshore of
Peterhead, is being developed in cooperation
with Scottish universities and
suppliers under a new memorandum of
understanding signed on March 18. According
to its developers, the storage
system could help mitigate intermittency
and optimize output-and this could in
turn improve efficiency and lower costs
for offshore wind.
" The pilot in Scotland will provide a
technological and commercial foundation
for the implementation of Batwind in fullscale
offshore wind farms, opening new
commercial opportunities in a growing
market, " said Norwegian energy firm Statoil,
which is developing the Hywind Scotland
project and spearheading the Batwind
project. The 30-MW Hywind project, which
will comprise five floating wind turbines
25 kilometers offshore Peterhead, is currently
under construction and should come
online by 2017. Statoil has said the $248
million offshore wind project will be built
at a 60% to 70% cost reduction from the
Hywind demonstration project in Norway
owing to technological innovations (for
more, see " Statoil to Build World's First
Floating Offshore Wind Farm " in POWER's
January 2016 issue).
The Batwind battery and converter integrated
storage system (Figure 4) is expected
to capture wind over-generation,
storing excess power for sale when capacity
is needed, thus reducing balancing
costs. Statoil expects that increases in
power market value will come with " opportunities
to capture price peaks through
arbitrage. "
4. Right off the bat. Norwegian multinational energy company Statoil has signed a
memorandum of understanding with the Scottish government, the Offshore Renewable Energy
Catapult, and Scottish Enterprise-Scotland's economic development agency-to pilot a new
battery storage system for offshore wind energy at its Hywind Scotland wind farm. The floating
wind farm is under construction off the coast of Peterhead, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Courtesy:
Statoil

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POWER June 2016

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