Zhejiang Hangzhou: Virtual Power Plants Illuminate New Prospects for Rural Common Prosperity

In the Daxiajiang area of Chun’an County, Zhejiang Province, an innovative practice known as a virtual power plant is quietly transforming the energy landscape of rural areas. It provides a smart solution to the challenges of the reliable power supply and clean energy transition in rural regions, while also opening up a new path for local residents to achieve common prosperity through technological empowerment and green income growth.

The project relies on the overall architecture of “Digital Zhejiang Power” of State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power. Based on the existing platform, it has customized an active distribution network management module for the Da Xiajiang area, which integrates water, light, and storage in a coordinated manner. It pioneers the coordinated mutual assistance of three elements—hydropower stations, photovoltaic, and energy storage—in the same distribution network. Like a precise “digital brain”, it constructs clear digital models for all equipment in the area, from large substations to rooftop photovoltaics, small hydropower stations, and energy storage batteries, converging into a dynamically visible “one map of the power grid”.

The magic of the Daxiajiang Virtual Power Plant lies in “gathering sand to form a tower”. It integrates various energy resources that were originally scattered across the Daxiajiang region, including 33 village collective public rooftop photovoltaic users, 11 small hydropower stations, 2 energy storage stations, and 10 industrial and commercial users with regulation capabilities. These resources are systematically integrated and categorized to form a regional-level “flexible resource pool”, collectively constituting a “virtual” power plant that responds quickly and regulates effectively, maximizing the utilization of local clean energy.

Intelligent operations can bring multiple significant benefits to the project. The aggregated installed capacity of photovoltaic power in the region reaches 12,000 kilowatts, with an annual power generation of approximately 5.61 million kilowatt-hours, which can apply for more than 5,000 green certificates. Based on current market price estimates, it is expected to bring an additional green income of about 45,000 yuan annually to participating farmers and enterprises. At the same time, the virtual power plant integrates scattered photovoltaic power stations into a whole, participating in the power market as a unified market entity. With the advantage of aggregation, it engages in high-premium bilateral negotiation transactions, effectively increasing the revenue from grid-connected electricity compared to conventional electricity prices.

Empowered by digital technology, scattered clean energy resources are transformed into a synergistic and efficient “virtual” force, not only illuminating the path of green development in rural areas but also opening up new avenues for increasing farmers’ income and enhancing industrial efficiency through “electric common prosperity”. The pulse of the smart grid is closely connected with the dream of common prosperity in Zhejiang’s mountainous regions, jointly composing a new chapter for the future of rural areas. (By Ren Maopan)