An aerial view of the ABB Xiamen Hub of the Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries. CHINA DAILY

China's Energy Transition white paper has recently included the green microgrid project in the ABB Xiamen Hub of the Torch Development Zone for High Technology Industries.

Released by the State Council in late August, the white paper outlines the historic achievements China has made in its energy transition over the past decade and its history of sharing its practices with the world.

As a demonstration project integrating the generation-grid-load-storage system, the microgrid project's inclusion in the white paper underscores its innovative approach and positive results in promoting green and low-carbon transformation, local officials said.

With investment from Xiamen Torch Xinyuan Electric Power Technology, the microgrid project was connected to the grid for power generation in October 2022. In 2023, the project generated approximately 11.41 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, resulting in an equivalent reduction of about 11,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. The ABB Xiamen Hub utilized 84.4 percent of the solar power generated, saving the zone approximately 1.4 million yuan ($198,152) in electricity costs while achieving significant economic and environmental benefits.

"By installing photovoltaic panels on the roof of the factory, we have converted solar energy into electricity in real-time. The generated electricity can be used by the company for self-consumption, reducing energy costs. Any surplus electricity can be fed back to the grid," said Shi Yuxiang, deputy general manager of Xinyuan.

The rooftop photovoltaic area of the ABB Xiamen Hub covers 100,000 square meters. The system continuously converts solar energy into clean electricity, which is utilized in production lines, office buildings and other facilities, Shi said.

In addition to rooftop solar panels, the hub utilizes the roofs of carports with installed distributed photovoltaic systems. The "carport photovoltaics" allow for parking and electricity generation simultaneously.

As well, to address the issue of unstable electricity generation of photovoltaic systems during variable weather conditions, Xinyuan and the ABB Xiamen Hub jointly developed a solution combining software and hardware. They built a smart energy management platform to oversee the entire system, enabling the unified integration, management and intelligent adjustment of various terminals such as photovoltaics, energy storage, charging stations, as well as heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. By deploying smart energy storage units, surplus electricity is stored for discharge during peak demand periods, thereby balancing the load.

The smart energy management platform has innovatively applied artificial intelligent algorithms that combine weather data, historical data, and other factors to make precise short, medium and long-term predictions regarding the electricity generation from photovoltaic systems.

"If the platform predicts that the solar power generation in the next hour will exceed the electricity consumption, it stores the excess electricity; if the generation is less than the consumption, it can reduce the air conditioning and lighting loads and discharge energy from the storage system," Shi said, adding that effective coordination between the smart energy management platform and energy storage systems promotes a balance between electricity generation and consumption, thus achieving the maximum integration of green electricity.

The smart management platform also interfaces with State Grid Xiamen Electric Power Supply Company's virtual power plant cloud platform, electricity trading platform and other platforms, enabling a flexible demand-side response. "Based on predictive capabilities, the platform can inform the grid in real time about how much load can be adjusted at any given moment. When grid instructions are issued, the platform can achieve adjustments within minutes," said Shi.

The ABB Xiamen Hub includes a set of integrated modular solutions encompassing distributed rooftop photovoltaic systems, intelligent energy storage units, building load optimization and systematic charging management for electric vehicle stations. Notably, a significant portion of the equipment utilized in these solutions is manufactured within the industrial landscape of Xiamen, underscoring a commitment to both innovation and regional collaboration.

Next, the hub is expected to be transformed into a showcase for corporate low-carbon transition, offering scalable and replicable solutions to assist diverse industries in achieving sustainable development through green and low-carbon practices.

"The trend toward industrial green microgrids is on the rise, with the Xiamen city government having introduced relevant policies to encourage enterprises to accelerate the construction of industrial green microgrids," Shi said.

Industrial green microgrids refer to those in industrial areas where the main power sources are new energy sources represented by wind and solar energy. It is a small-scale power system that integrates power generation, distribution and consumption equipment, capable of both connecting to the main grid and operating independently.

Mirroring the success of ABB Xiamen Hub's pioneering green microgrid project, the torch high-tech zone is promoting comprehensive analysis and design of intelligent microgrid systems for key enterprises. Emphasizing utilization of proven intelligent microgrid control system platforms, the initiative aims to facilitate strategic deployment of distributed new energy storage systems within the region.

Located in the Torch (Xiang'an) Industrial Zone, the ABB Xiamen Hub covers an area of 425,000 sq m and stands as one of ABB's most important global manufacturing hubs. The green microgrid project, with 100,000 sq m of rooftop solar panels, replaces 50 percent of electricity with clean energy, aiming to reduce carbon emissions by 13,400 tons annually. Using advanced algorithms, it enables precise control of the zone's energy flow.

As a pioneering local virtual power plant based on the cloud-edge collaborative framework, the project achieves seamless control of 20 percent of the load, balancing low-carbon electricity and economic efficiency. It is a key example among eight green industrial park transformations announced by the National Energy Administration in February.

Rows of solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the ABB Xiamen Hub. CHINA DAILY