Chinese Electric Power’s Exclusive Interview with President of NCEPU Liu Jizhen: Energy Revolution Needs the Support of Technology and Talents

Publishing time:2014-09-02    Viewer:

        Ji-Zhen Liu, the President of North China Electric Power University (NCEPU), is the Director of state key laboratory of new energy power system and the chief scientist of the National “973” Project, and serves concurrently as the President of China Electricity Council, the vice President of Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, the vice President of Chinese Society of Power Engineering, the vice Chairman of Beijing Energy Association, the Deputy Director of the Mechanical and Electrical Transport Department of Science and Technology Committee in the Ministry of Education, and also a member of the 12th national committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC). He has been long engaged in the teaching and scientific research in the fields of thermal energy and automation, has published 5 academic books and more than 150 academic papers and has won 6 scientific and technological progress awards at the national and ministerial level . 
      
       China Electric Power: In your opinion, what is the background significance of the currently proposed “Energy Revolution”?
       Ji-Zhen Liu: Over the entire history of mankind, each and every significant step in the progress of human civilization has been accompanied by energy evolution. The first industrial evolution started with the invention of the steam engine, which powered mainly with coal, drove the rise of the industrial era. The second industrial evolution which features the invention of the internal combustion engine promoted the arrival of oil energy era. The two industrial revolutions are both revolution of fossilized energy.
From today’s view, however, overly dependence on and large consumption of fossilized energy have become a double-edged sword. While brings to us great material prosperity and daily-life convenience, modern society has also made us taste the “bitters” of it unconsciously, the most direct consequence of which is the deterioration of the living environment of mankind and also the depletion of natural resources we are facing. Thus, a new energy revolution is imperative in order to push forward the progress of human society.
      This energy revolution is a long-term work and also has its urgency. Large areas of population haze in China strengthened everyone’s sense of crisis. At the National Committee of the CPPCC this year, I talked about the four crises concerned about the energy problems: the first one is energy shortage, which is how to ensure the supply of the increasing demand for energy; the second one is environmental crisis, which is the increasingly air, water, soil pollution and other severe environmental problems caused by overly consumption of fossilized energy; the third one is the crisis of energy safety. Increasing dependence on foreign energy is approaching the maximum level, so our work is to deal with how to reduce the overly dependence on several limited energy import channels; the fourth one is the confidence crisis on energy. Attention of the whole society on energy and environmental problem has reached on an unprecedented level, and the public’s dissatisfaction with the status quo, even psychological panic and bewilderment have become a social problem.
      China Electric Power: How should we deal with the four crises in this energy revolution?
      Ji-Zhen Liu: The core of the revolution is to rely on energy production and consumption, it also needs the support of technology and talents, as well as institutional innovation and international cooperation.
   In order to drive the energy revolution, we should firstly beak the incompatible barriers in systems. The supreme goal of promoting the reform of China’s energy system is to better solve the energy and environmental problems, rather than reform for the sake of reform itself, or even simply copy other countries’ reform models.
Energy reform is a broad and long-term work, which involves various industrial categories, so it is very important to plan as a whole. The government must make overall plans when it is necessary, and the market should also do its work to allocate resources and deal with those macro planning without the control of government. But most of the situations are completely opposite, where no one macro planning is been done and the government is doing the work which should be done by the market. This is exactly where we must make up our minds to reform.
      In addition, we need to know and follow the advantage and characteristic of certain kinds of energy. Take the electricity as an example, electricity generation, power supply and utilization are all done at the same. What’s more, electricity cannot be stored in large scale. We cannot split a complete power system like what we do to other industrial productions, and make it a game of multiple stakeholders. The current problem with not using wind power is interest gaming of different interest subjects. which fall to deal weal with its relationship between coal resources and electric energy. So if we make greater efforts to develop wind power systems, thermal power companies will not be happy.. When wind power, solar energy, hydro-energy and coal resources, the recent situation will be improved greatly.
      China Electric Power: Then, in your own opinion, what are the main focuses of energy revolution in China?
      Ji-Zhen Liu: In the fact, we do have advantages in energy revolution, no matter resources advantages or technology conditions.
Firstly, we should to recognize the present situation of our country, which is coal will have its long-standing predominance for some time to come, so high efficiency and clean coal utilization should be paid high attention to. Nowadays, more than 70% of electricity is generated by coal. In recent years, China has implemented high efficiency and clean power generation technology, which has made remarkable achievements, with continued and sharply drop of coal consumption power supply. Last year, our country’s average coal consumption power supply declined to near 320 g/kwh, lower than that of the US, but still higher than that of countries like Japan and South Korea. Thus, while developing large capacity units and suppressing small ones, we should also recognize that there still many parts for us to reform. At the same time, the whole society should recognize that our recent large-scale advanced thermal power technology has reached the world advanced level, no matter in efficiency and emission reduction. We have made great contribution in electricity field in protecting the environment.
     Secondly, we should vigorously develop renewable sources, especially wind power and solar energy. In recent years, renewable energy has witnessed rapid development, but also many problems. In order to further improve the proportion of renewable energy in total energy consumption structure, we are still facing the restriction factors such as technology and systems. Besides, we should pay equal attention to concentrated development and distributed development, while pay special attention to distributed development.
     Thirdly, we should vigorously promote the proportion of natural gas, especially shale gas, in total energy consumption structure. In 2012, the proportion of natural gas reached 4% in the total energy structure, with a world’s average of 24.5%. Some has pointed out that there were less gas resources in our country, but I have seen some recent reports, which said that shale gas reserve in China might ranks 1st in the world. But the problems are that shale gas is distributed dispersedly and is hard to exploit it, so we should enhance high-tech support in exploiting and developing shale gas. The US has pursued a way of energy development path, which is called “Shale gas revolution”. If we can meet the target of a 20% improvement of natural gas, including shale gas, in energy structure, and increase the usage of renewable energy such as wind power and solar energy, coal consumption proportion will reduce 30%, from 70% now to 40%. Then, there will be no overly carbon emission or haze, and the environment might hopefully recover to or even exceed the level of two decades ago.

      Energy technology should realize the transformation from the “following role” to “leading role”
      China Electric Power: Everyone is a subject of energy consumption, so how to promote the education of ecological civilization and popularize the awareness of energy of conversation?
       Ji-Zhen Liu: Compared with the developed countries, the problem of China’s energy lies in its low efficiency and serious energy waste. We have always been advocating energy-saving, but these years this awareness has become twisted. Large consumption and waste of resources created the Growth of GDP, which has damaged the environment and left a legacy of trouble. Ironically, people only emphasize on its benefit while turn a blind eye to its bad consequences.
       In China, a large country with a population of 1.3 billion, if each person saves once electricity, a drop of water, when it converge together, it will be incredible. So I think that advocating the national saving is the most direct and effective measure to deal with the energy crisis, because it cost less, and can produce immediate effects. It is a very difficult task to reduce 1gram of coal consumption of power supply in each thermal power unit. One kw of electricity we use costs nearly 500 grams raw coal and causes 1000 grams of carbon dioxide emission, as well as various losses such as line loss in the process of transmission. Saving once electricity might be a simple action, but what we are getting in return is the effects in energy-saving and emission-reduction. Our Chinese nation is a diligent and thrifty people, so we should promote a energy-saving lifestyle and consumption mode. 
       Promoting energy production and consumption revolution need to rely on advanced science and technology, such as the development of smart grid, seeing the power users "translatable loads" section as a resource to be utilized. Now the principle of energy consumption is "security supply" or "customers first", that is, consumers and producers "do not discuss". The producer's task is to ensure customers’ rapid consumption. We have paid a big price in the pattern of consumption. The capacity of the power, lines and power supply is designed based on the peak load of the year, but it also set aside a certain amount of surplus. If we use "translatable loads" to achieve peak load shifting, then great benefits will be brought to us.     Bidirectional interaction between producers and consumers is a new pattern of electricity consumption in cooperating the relationship between producers and consumers. It can reduce the waste of resources and promote harmonious development of human beings and nature, and it leads to a profound reform of ecological civilization.
       China Electric Power: The two-week negotiation seminar held by CPPCC on May 15 is mainly on the topic of "development of UHV transmission, optimization of power distribution".What did you say and what were the consensus and differences discussed on the conference?
       Ji-Zhen Liu: The theme of the last negotiation seminar by CPPCC is around UHV, especially the construction of AC UHV, three Chinese synchronized power grid, and so on. In the academic level, we have a number of different perspectives, understandings and voices, which I think is totally normal. In fact, either before or after any of a major project or reform, there will be a number of different voices.
The development of UHV power transmission grid is beneficial to enhancing the capacity of power transmission. New science and technology will bring obvious benefits. From this perspective, I positively support new science and technology.
       At the same time, we must attach great importance to the possible problems a new technology may encounter in the development process.     However, I think we should solve these problems in the development rather than wait until there is no problem at all. Different points of view may be among the least bit, such as the problems of security and transport capacity of the UHV. Some suggested that we should solve these problems first, and then go on the construction, but I think the existing demonstration project has reached a certain level. We should make a bold attempt to implement new technologies, rather than running behind the developed countries, because for now there is little we play the leading role in the world.
    China Electric Power: Energy revolution needs the support of science and technology and talent. How do your answer to the famous "Qian Xuesen’s Question", which is "Why do our universities always fail to cultivate outstanding talents?"
       Ji-Zhen Liu: I think we should first have an objective understanding and evaluation about our achievement of science and technology and education over these years. Since the reform and opening up, China's higher education have made great achievements in the development of scale and the enhancement of quality, which can better meet the needs of various talents for economic development in our country. In terms of electric power industry, many achievements we have made today are walking in the forefront of the international, and a large number of outstanding engineerings and technical personnel, management personnel are developed in our own.
     However, China is still far away from scientific power, because core technologies and innovation points we had are far from enough. I think three major reasons are as follows: the first reason is the lack of foundation, and the short time in accumulation. The second one is the problems in system. And the third one is the personnel factor. Compared with the developed countries, our foundation and accumulation of science and technology research is far from enough.
     However, China is still far away from scientific power, because core technologies and innovation points we had are far from enough. I think three major reasons are as follows: the first reason is the lack of foundation, and the short time in accumulation. The second one is the problems in system. And the third one is the personnel factor. Compared with the developed countries, our foundation and accumulation of science and technology research is far from enough.
    In the background of the "China Dream", NCEPU has its own dreams, that is, to develop into a high-standard university with its distinctive features, to cultivate a large number of top innovative talents which are needed by our country, to promote the development and progress of national energy science and technology, and to make due contributions in promoting the process of energy revolution.