On October 9, China Southern Power Grid (CSG) released a report on the development of its new electric power system from 2021 to 2023.

According to the report, CSG has considered the construction of a digital power grid to be an important carrier, integrating digital and green development in the construction of the new energy system and the new electric power system and promoting the establishment of clean energy supplies in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Hainan.

The new energy system is vital for building a modern industrial system, and a new electric power system is a key part of such an energy system. The new electric power system is built to ensure the security of electricity supplies and aims to meet the demand for electricity in high-quality economic and social development. Additionally, the system focuses on building a power grid with a high proportion of new energy supply and accommodation. It features multi-faceted, collaborative, resilient and interactive power generation, transmission, load and storage. The system in the new era relies on the digital power grid as a central platform, and is empowered by technological and institutional innovation.

Rao Hong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and chief scientist of CSG, said that CSG has formulated 10 core indicators, including the ratio of installed capacity of non-fossil fuel power generation, the percentage of non-fossil fuel sources in power production, new energy penetration rate, and new energy consumption index, that are essential for the new electric power system. The indicators represent a set of objective and scientific indices.

As a link and platform connecting upstream and downstream enterprises in the power grid sector, CSG initiated the construction of a digital power grid in 2019. It started to explore a path to synergy between greener development and digitalization in a drive to achieve the high-quality development of the energy and power sectors. The digital power grid has comprehensively utilized new-generation technologies such as cloud computing, big data, the internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence and blockchain. These technologies have been used in all aspects of power generation, transmission, load and storage, supporting the operation of the new electric power system.