Ningbo event looks into region's energy history

Thirty families in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, recently embarked on a journey to uncover the fascinating stories behind the region's energy culture.

Offering a unique opportunity to engage with both historical and modern energy innovations, the event first stopped at the 1986 Cultural Square in Fenghua district, Ningbo's bustling CBD. Standing tall at over 80 meters, a grey chimney dominates the square, reminiscent of a bygone era.

The chimney, once a part of the Fenghua Thermal Power Plant, now serves as a poignant symbol of the region's industrial past. "This museum area was originally a thermal power plant," said Guo Zhejun, a member of the volunteer service team of State Grid Ningbo Fenghua Power Supply Co.

The transformation of the former power plant site has turned a 28-meter-tall power generation workshop into the Fenghua Museum, while the adjacent towering chimney and coal conveyor belt have been preserved as they were.

The stark contrast between the fresh green lawn and the earthy yellow bricks creates an industrial art vibe. This city landmark, which once lit up the 1980s and 90s, bears witness to the decline of high-energy-consuming, high-pollution thermal power plants, and the gradual transition toward sustainable energy sources.

"See those rows of rooftops ahead? They are part of a distributed photovoltaic power station," Guo explained as the group climbed a tall staircase, pointing to the rooftops of the renovated cultural square buildings. In December 2019, the rooftops were fitted with photovoltaic panels capable of harnessing solar energy, which was connected to the grid in April 2020.

The second stop of the tour took the families to the Xikou pumped storage power station in Ningbo, where the visitors were offered an in-depth look at the cutting-edge technologies behind the facility.

The pumped storage power station is hailed as a "giant green power bank" and the "power granary" of the grid. During off-peak hours, it uses surplus electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper one, essentially "charging" the power bank. During peak hours, the water is released back down to the lower reservoir, converting gravitational potential energy into electricity.

This power station, nestled deep within the Xikou Mountains, has a significant legacy. It was the first medium-sized pumped storage power station to be built and commissioned in China, with operations beginning in June 1998. As more pumped storage power stations come online, they will enhance the grid's capacity to absorb renewable energy, optimize the grid's power supply structure and play a vital role in the new energy-based power system, contributing to the country's "dual carbon" goals.