On September 20, the inaugural meeting of the Specialized Committee on New-Type Power Loads and Virtual Power Plants (hereinafter referred to as the “Specialized Committee”) of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering was held in Beijing. A total of 61 committee members and representatives of member organizations attended the meeting, representing Tsinghua University, State Grid Corporation of China, Guangdong Power Grid Corporation of China Southern Power Grid, China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co., Ltd., Electric Power Research Institute of China Southern Power Grid, Beijing Power Exchange Center, China Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute, and other organizations. The meeting was chaired by Chen Mei, Vice President of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering.

Meeting venue

Zhou Xiaoxin, Honorary President of China Electric Power Research Institute and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered an address online. He pointed out that the evolving architecture of new-type power systems had placed entirely new demands on the participation of demand-side resources in system operation, and emphasized the need to gain a deeper understanding of the development patterns and regulation potential of emerging power loads, such as computing loads, to promote their orderly participation in system regulation. The mature application of virtual power plants requires the combined support of well-developed market mechanisms, reliable control technologies, and cost-effective core equipment. He expressed the hope that the Specialized Committee would bring together stakeholders from industry, academia, research, and application to strengthen the integration of research, technology, standards, and engineering applications, thereby supporting the development of new-type power systems.

Academician Zhou Xiaoxin Delivering an Address Online

Chen Mei emphasized that the Specialized Committee serves as an important platform for connecting scientific and technological innovation resources across the industry and supporting innovation. New-type power loads and virtual power plants are key areas in the development of new-type power systems. The Specialized Committee should focus on academic exchanges, technological breakthroughs, standards development, and industrial advancement, unite stakeholders across the industry, promote the commercialization of relevant technologies, enhance China's international influence in this field, and contribute to the high-quality development of China's energy and power sector.

The meeting heard a report on preparations for establishing the Specialized Committee, read out the Approval of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering on the Establishment of the Specialized Committee on New-Type Power Loads and Virtual Power Plants, and presented appointment certificates to representatives of the first committee.

Presentation of Appointment Certificates

Kang Chongqing, Chair of the Specialized Committee, noted that virtual power plants were expanding beyond conventional demand response to serve a broader range of regulation needs in new-type power systems. Internationally, virtual power plants are transitioning from Version 1.0, characterized by “resource aggregation,” to Version 2.0, characterized by “intelligent coordination.” In China, research priorities have evolved from local balancing and zero-carbon operation during the 13th Five-Year Plan period to dynamic aggregation and flexible interaction during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and are now moving toward plant-grid coupling and active support during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. Related research and practical applications span multiple professions, disciplines, and fields. The establishment of the Specialized Committee comes at an opportune time and will bring together stakeholders to jointly investigate and address common challenges.

The first meeting of the Specialized Committee's inaugural committee was also held alongside the inaugural meeting, chaired by Li Jianfeng, Secretary-General of the Specialized Committee, Deputy Chief Engineer of China Electric Power Research Institute, and Director of its Energy Efficiency Research Department. The meeting heard a work report from the Specialized Committee, and committee members exchanged views and held discussions on key research priorities and work arrangements for the next stage.

With support from its secretariat organizations, namely the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University and the Energy Efficiency Research Department of China Electric Power Research Institute, the Specialized Committee will address the needs of new-type power system development by bringing together universities, research institutes, enterprises, and other stakeholders. It will strengthen academic exchanges and collaborative research on common challenges, including understanding the characteristics of new-type power loads, assessing their regulation capabilities, and developing aggregation, control, and operational mechanisms for virtual power plants. It will promote coordinated development in key technologies, market mechanisms, core equipment, and standards and specifications, providing support for the orderly participation of demand-side resources in system operation and facilitating the integration of renewable energy.