IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - November/December 2019 - 102

2018, the installed capacity of wind power in the SGCC's
area was 146.1 GW and solar power was 152.83 GW.

Regional Trends in Newly Installed VG Capacity
In recent years, due to the VG curtailment issues in the North-
west, North China, and the Northeast (the "Three North"
regions) and the guidelines in the "13th Five-Year Plan on
Renewable Energy," the newly installed capacity of VG has
shifted to Central and East China, which are the load centers
of China. Between 2015 and 2018, the proportion of newly
installed VG capacity in total installed capacity increased
from 15 to 40% in Central China and from 30 to 39% in East
China. A large part of the newly installed wind and solar
capacity in Central and East China is distributed generation.
The cumulative installed capacity of wind in the Three North
regions accounted for 71% of the national total in 2018, 7%
lower than that in 2015. The cumulative installed capacity of
solar power in the Three North regions has decreased from
72 to 54% of the national total in the same period.

National Policies Focus More on
System-Wide Coordination
The following policies were implemented since 2016. First,
both the power system's capability to successfully interconnect
VG and the cost of state financial subsidies were recognized as
key issues now being addressed. Second, power system-based
measures have also been considered to enhance the capability
of the power system to integrate VG. Such measures include
those for enhancing the flexibility of thermal generation, pro-
moting market-based power exchanges, and encouraging busi-
ness model innovations for using VG. Third, coordination
among regions to enable VG integration in larger areas has
been strengthened through inter-regional transmission con-
struction and interprovincial power transactions.

Facilitating Integration and
Combatting Curtailment
China saw its first wind power curtailment case in 2009 and
first solar curtailment case in 2013, both in Gansu prov-

North China
10.74%

North China
Beijing
Tianjin
Hebei
Shanxi
Shandong
Northwest China
Shaanxi
Gansu
Qinghai
Ningxia
Xinjiang

Northwest
China
61.59%

Central
China
0.37%

Northeast
China
27.3%

ince, Northwest China. In 2016, 49.7 TWh of wind genera-
tion was curtailed nationwide, with the curtailment rate being
17.1%. A total of 6.9 TWh of solar generation was curtailed,
with the curtailment rate of 9.4%.

Basic Conditions and Characteristics
The large-scale integration of VG presents challenges in
China for several reasons. The first is the high concentra-
tion of VG in the Three North regions, where electricity
demand is low. The second is the inflexible generation struc-
ture, especially in the Three North regions. The increasing
conflict between the continuous development of all types of
generation capacity and the slowdown of economic growth
with the associated slowdown of electricity demand also
presents renewable integration challenges. Though a nation-
wide issue, the curtailment of VG is highly concentrated in
particular regions and during specific time periods.
VG Curtailment Mainly in Xinjiang and Gansu

In 2016, when curtailment was the most serious, there was
no curtailment of wind in 21 provinces. Seventy-two per-
cent of the wind curtailment occurred in the Northwest and
the Northeast. Wind curtailment in Xinjiang and Gansu
accounted for 48.5% of total curtailment nationwide (Fig-
ure 4). No solar energy was curtailed in 29 provinces. The
curtailed solar energy in Xinjiang and Gansu accounted for
80% of the total nationwide (Figure 5).
Characteristics of Wind and Solar Curtailment

Between 2013 and 2015, in the SGCC operating area, about
70% of the wind curtailment happened during the heating
season (October to April). This is especially the case in North
China and the Northeast, where more than 80% of wind
curtailment occurred during the heating period. Wind cur-
tailment during off-peak hours accounted for 80% of the total
wind curtailment during the heating period. The solar power
curtailment happened primarily during the midday hours
(12:00-2:00 p.m.) throughout the year, when solar generation
was at its peak.

Main Strategies for
Addressing VG Curtailment
Central China
Hubei
Hunan
Henan
Jiangxi
Northeast China
Liaoning
Jilin
Heilongjiang
East Inner
Mongolia

figure 4. The distribution of wind curtailment in the SGCC operating areas in 2016.
102

ieee power & energy magazine

China's national and local govern-
ments and power companies have
implemented several measures to
address the VG curtailment prob-
lem. These measures include tech-
nical means to improve power-sys-
tem flexibility as well as policies
that facilitate renewable develop-
ment, including changes to electric-
ity markets.
Coal-fired generators have been
retrofitted to make conventional ge-
neration more flexible. In addition,
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