Supporting of hydropower for intermittent wind and photovoltaic power and the coordinated operation between them

Abstract

It was analyzed at first the necessities developing of low-carbon green renewable energy in China as well as the exploring status of traditional hydropower and renewable energy power briefly. Then the supporting and coordinated operation of hydropower for the intermittent wind and photovoltaic power were studied. The results showed that hydropower played an important role in promoting the development of wind and photovoltaic power, and could increase the electric supply rate of renewable energy. For the very wide scope of regional power grid covering a few provinces, it is necessary to research the total capacity of all hydropower stations systematically in the grid to balance the intermittent energy, because it is an important guaranty to keep the operating of the renewable energy in grid safely and stably. By dispatching, water power should take the task of peak load as much as possible in order to reduce the peak load share of fossil energy. In addition, the calculation results related to Qinghai province showed that the balance capacities of cascade hydropower stations varied in seasons and years. In some years of the future, although the total supply capacity of electricity in the regional grid could not meet the total load demand, at same time, the intermittent electric power had to be discarded. The contradictory phenomenon could be resolved by pumped storage schemes. From the point of views of resources and environment, it was also suggested that seawater or salt lake water pumped storages in some appropriate region could be constructed in China.