State Grid Zhenjiang introduces new equipment to boost revenue

A grid-side energy storage device, funded by private capital, has been deployed in Yingfang village, Yangzhong, Zhenjiang. This provides a case study for private capital participation in grid-side energy storage construction and the large-scale development of distributed rooftop solar in rural areas.

Currently, the installed capacity of solar power in Yangzhong, Zhenjiang, exceeds 560,000 kilowatts, with a solar penetration rate of 113 percent. As rooftop solar becomes more common in villages, the issues of weather-dependent generation and unstable output have become prominent, causing grid overloads and voltage fluctuations in rural towns. This not only limits the expansion of solar projects, but also affects the reliability of power supply for residents.

The energy storage project has a power rating of 125 kW and a capacity of 261 kilowatt-hours, suited to the operational needs of rural power grids. The device can absorb excess electricity from rooftop solar, ensuring the stable power supply for about 10 households during peak demand periods. It also reserves over 100 kW of capacity for future solar expansion in the village, effectively removing a key bottleneck for rural solar development.

"Grid-side energy storage, as the name suggests, is a small-scale storage system installed at the front end of the grid. It can balance supply and demand in real time within the grid, enabling the transfer of electricity across both time and space," explained Fangfei Li, project manager at State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Co.

Compared to traditional transformer capacity expansion, this solution is lower-cost, more flexible, and can achieve "dynamic capacity expansion" of the distribution network in a short time, improving the local grid's ability to absorb green energy.

Zhenjiang has begun piloting grid-side energy storage since 2022. With private capital now taking the initiative to participate, this project offers a replicable and scalable model for the village-wide, coordinated development of rural solar power.