AS global temperatures continue to rise, “the world is burning. We need a renewables revolution,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, calling for developing clean energy. However, the unbalanced energy supply and demand caused by extreme weather has led to frequent power shortages.

A virtual power plant (VPP) is a solution to power shortages and the unstable supply of new energy, and China is testing out its capacity in VPP with its first VPP management center that has opened in Shenzhen recently.

Similar to the idea of Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing, VPP functions like a brain that can redistribute electricity surplus from small electric power stations to balance the load on power grids during peak hours.

A power station unit can be as small as a solar panel on the rooftop of a household, or an electric vehicle.

“When there is an abundance of power supply, especially when new and green energy is developed, the virtual power plant can quickly respond to instructions to provide auxiliary services and enhance the stability of the power grid operation,” said Shi Jun, a manager at CSG Shenzhen Power Supply.

Modern cities usually rely on large-scale power plants that take up land and non-renewable resources to generate electricity. In comparison, a virtual power plant is made by distributing energy resources to aggregate flexible capacitors and help balance the grid.

The newly launched VPP in Shenzhen can pull together a capacity of 870,000 kilowatts, the same installed capacity as a large-size coal power plant. It is planned to increase the capacity to 1 million kilowatts by 2025, which is expected to save tens of thousands of metric tons of standard coal, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, contributing to a greener planet.

(CGTN)