What is China Southern power grid?

China Southern Power Grid (“Southern Grid”) is one of China’s two major state-owned power distributors that serve five southern provinces: Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan. The region has witnessed a rapid build-up of power generation capacity, from 275 GW in 2015 to 350 GW in 2020.

Can China decarbonize the southern power grid by 2060?

Decarbonization of the Southern Power Grid in China is feasible by 2060 but requires converting a large cropland area to support solar and wind energy; expansion of hydropower will impact the transboundary rivers according to a power system optimization model set up for 2020–2060.

Does China's electric grid lack generation capacity?

“China’s electric grid doesn’t lack generation capacity. The grid lacks adequate flexibility and responsiveness,” said Xie. “In order to scale up renewable energy in time to make it to net zero [by] 2060, China needs to resolve these dire inefficiencies in its grid infrastructure and grid management.”

How can China improve its energy security?

China can enhance its energy security by investing more in grid infrastructure and storage to keep up with the rapid growth in renewable energy to better cope with demand and supply shocks instead of building coal-fired power plants, according to analysts.

Should China increase the pace of Grid investments?

“It is quite [urgent] for China to increase the pace of grid investments, and at the same time, take necessary policy measures to enable more storage as a mandatory requirement before connecting renewables to the grid,” said Nikhil Bhandari, co-head of APAC natural resources and clean energy research at G oldman Sachs.

Is inflexibility a problem in China's electric grid?

“Inflexibility in China’s electric grid is a big problem now, and will be an even bigger problem later if it’s not addressed soon,” said Xie, adding that dependency on coal will make the nation’s energy transition more difficult.