Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive

Transcription

1 Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive A Bentley White Paper Cyndi Smith Senior Industry Marketing Director Bentley Systems March

2 Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive Building information modeling is supporting China s ambitious clean energy development plans, but they are also helping to position the nation as a leading global player in major energy infrastructure projects. China s energy sector is undergoing a radical transformation driven by policies engendered by the country s 13th Five-Year Plan ( ). Already a long-time leader in renewable energy installations, China is now accelerating its shift to more efficient and less polluting power technologies, such as nuclear and cleaner coal. This domestic transition is also underway with a view to export markets for energy technology, as China aims to stamp its authority on the global energy sector. It also plays out in the context of rapid economic growth and increasing energy demand of around 7 percent per year. Macheng Caijiazhai Wind Farm Landform 3D Engineering-ready Model, Image Courtesy of Hubei Electric Power Survey and Design Institute China s Energy Transformation The air pollution seen in major cities, such as Beijing, has prompted the Chinese government to take aggressive steps to clean up its energy sector with a push for lower-carbon technologies. China has a stated target of meeting 15 percent of primary energy demand with renewables by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030 with both medium and long-term plans to increase renewables contribution to the national energy mix. The latest five-year plan includes specific measures to optimize the development of wind energy and photovoltaic energy in northern regions and coastal areas, as well as to accelerate the development of solar and wind power in the central, eastern, and southern regions. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 1

3 Encouraged by this overarching policy, renewable installations have boomed and total wind generation capacity is expected to top 200-gigawatts and solar more than 100-gigawatts by The 13th Plan also states that the country will begin construction of 60-gigawatts of hydropower capacity, giving priority to hydro development in the southwest while coordinating the development of end-use markets and power transmission routes. In addition, the country aims to reach 40 gigawatts of total pumped storage capacity by 2020, according to the International Hydropower Association (IHA). Drive for Efficiency, Reliability, and Stability Giant hydro projects like the more than 22-gigawatt Three Gorges and the near 14-gigawatt Xiluodu are relatively well known even outside of China, but to deliver that federal mandate many other significant hydro projects are currently being built. China s hydro development has been typically characterized by very large-scale projects. In August 2017, for example, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) began construction of the USD 6.3 billion, 16-gigawatt Baihetan hydropower station located on the lower reaches of the Jinsha River, between the borders of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces in Southwest China. Now, projects are also increasingly being focused on expanding China s clean energy capacity by enabling other types of low-emission energy production. One key technology that can support variable output renewables like wind and solar is pumped storage hydropower. Pumped storage forms a major plank of China s future energy complex because it is able to respond to variations in supply and demand in just a few seconds. Demands for Efficient Design Large infrastructure projects and the growing complexity of modern, more distributed, and variable energy networks is evidently placing increasing demands on the designers and developers of energy infrastructure. Building information modeling (BIM) is a relatively new concept to the energy industry that can make a dramatic impact on such developments. BIM methodology is an intelligent model-based process that integrates all relevant information required for planning, design, construction, and operation. Efficiency is an important aspect in the industry, with power producers looking for ways to cut costs. Using a BIM approach will cut down capital costs as well as reduce design and construction time, helping power producers meet their goals. BIM is being applied in Chinese pumped storage projects, for example. HydroChina Zhongnan Engineering Corporation used applications from Bentley Systems, Inc. to develop a standardized design and approach for pumped storage power stations to speed up the design process and meet the demand for large-scale power station construction in China. The standardized design will also provide a basis for planning, cost control, capital management, and centralized bid invitations. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 2

4 The team was able to address all aspects of a pumped storage power station, including the dam, plant, water channel, hydro generator, building, and substation, moving from one-off designs to repeatable schemes for power generation capacities of 4x300 megawatts and 6x300 megawatts by utilizing Bentley s 3D design applications. Similarly, the design team for the Qiongzhong pumped hydro storage power plant in Hainan Province used integrated Bentley applications to engage all stakeholders from concept to construction. Based on 3D modeling, over 1,000 engineering drawings were completed at the construction stage of the Hainan Qiongzhong station, saving over CNY 60 million (USD 9.25 million) in engineering costs. Construction of the project was completed three months ahead of schedule. Commenting on this success, Mei Huang, Chief Engineer of Electromechanical Design of Hainan Qiongzhong Pumped Hydropower Station Project, noted that the development of 3D design shortened the design phase by more than two months and reduced the design error rate by 90 percent. The pumped storage power station adds up to 600 megawatts to the grid system and will help meet peak demands for the growing Hainan economic region. After delivering the initial 3D model in just two months, Wugachong Water Conservancy is now rolling out BIM using Bentley technologies across other projects in the region. For organizations adopting BIM, ProjectWise has long been the workhorse for design coordination based on organizational and project workflows, or industry standards such as BS1192. With the CONNECT Edition, ProjectWise extends beyond design coordination to comprehensive worksharing, empowering the project team to collaborate throughout the entire project delivery lifecycle. Multi-discipline 3D design model for Qiongzhong Pumped Storage Power Station, Image Courtesy of Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Limited, POWERCHINA A medium-sized hydro power plant associated with the Wugachong Reservoir Project in Pu an County of Guizhou Province, was developed by the Wugachong Water Conservancy and Hydropower Co., Ltd., using multi-discipline Bentley design applications. For instance, Bentley s OpenRoads helped address the topography of the site with a zig-zag ramp design and using ProjectWise they achieved collaboration across all their engineering disciplines. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 3

5 ProjectWise CONNECT Edition Connection Services cloud services, powered by Microsoft Azure, complement ProjectWise Design Integration service which can be deployed on-premises, as a cloud service, or in any hybrid combination. By virtue of the shared Azure platform, project delivery organizations using both ProjectWise CONNECT Edition s new 365 Services and Microsoft Office 365 will increasingly benefit from digital workflows between their engineering work processes and enterprise productivity tools. ProjectWise CONNECT Edition Connection Services cloud services for comprehensive project delivery include: Deliverables Management to create, send, and receive transmittals, submittals, and RFIs; Issues Resolution to submit, manage, and resolve issues; Field Data Management for configurable forms-based data collection; Project Performance Dashboards for insight into project progress; Share to broadly and securely share general project information; and Construction Management for contract, cost, change, and risk management. Multi-discipline 3D design model for the Wugachong reservoir project, Image Courtesy of Wugachong Water Conservancy and Hydropower Co., Ltd. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 4

6 While major engineering projects like large hydropower installations can benefit from BIM, more distributed renewable energy generation projects can also take advantage of the benefits it offers. Beyond Renewables Alongside renewables, China is also looking to build more efficient thermal plants, such as coal-fired capacity, as well as rapidly expanding its nuclear generation fleet. Currently, mainland China has 37 nuclear power reactors in operation and approximately 20 already under construction, with more due to start development. This is part of China s plan to increase nuclear capacity by about 70 percent to reach some 58 gigawatts by According to the World Nuclear Association, plans are in place for China to reach 150 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2030, noting that over the course of the 13th Five-Year Plan, six to eight nuclear reactors are expected to be approved each year. Macheng Caijiazhai Wind Farm, Image Courtesy of Hubei Electric Power Survey and Design Institute For instance, wind farms involve turbines, towers and their bases, as well as roads, cabling, and substation elements. The 80-megawatt Macheng Caijiazhai Wind Farm, designed by the Hubei Electric Power Survey and Design Institute, is one example. Located on the challenging terrain of ridges and mountain tops near Futianhe Town and Macheng City, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to obtain data and images to build a landform 3D engineering-ready model. This model was then combined with metrological data and analysis results to select appropriate turbine locations. ProjectWise was used for collaboration among all the disciplines and to manage input and output materials, design documents, procurement materials, and project management materials, saving 50 resource days in design and reducing the construction period by 20 days. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 5

7 And, although increasing power demand will see far more thermal capacity built in China over the coming decade, efficiency and specific outputs of emissions like NOx and SOx per unit of energy produced are improving through the deployment of combined heat and power (CHP) and technologies such as supercritical and ultra-supercritical steam condition power plants. While modern thermal plants are incredibly efficient and much cleaner than their predecessors, combined heat and power applications are the most energy efficient and therefore produce the maximum usable energy for each kilogramme of pollution emitted. There is a real effort to boost the use of CHP energy technologies as a result. In late 2015, Beijing District Heating Group president Liu Shui Yang announced that as part of the city s environmental plan, the firm plans to invest over USD 20 billion to accelerate district energy deployment by More recently, the World Bank announced plans to fund a USD 100 million district heating project in China s northern Hebei province. China, which is already the world s biggest user of district heating, is also stepping up its knowledge and expertise with a recent best practice initiative with Finland s VTT Technical Research Centre and Nuorkivi Consulting. The analysis found that the introduction of building-specific heat distribution centers would result in 10 to 20 percent savings in energy costs and a reduction in CO2 emissions. This type of development can also benefit from BIM. For instance, the biomass CHP project in Lishui City, Qingyuan County, and based on a 50 ton per hour circulating fluidized bed biomass boiler, used applications from Bentley to fully describe the characteristics of various systems, equipment, components, and structures during the design, construction, and operation phases. This reduced the design time by approximately 20 percent, according to its developers. Fuping Thermal Power Plant Engineering of Shenhua Shendong Power, Image Courtesy of Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 6

8 Similarly, the 750-megawatt Fuping Thermal Power Plant in Weinan, capital of Shaanxi province in central China, is indicative of a shift to more modern and efficient thermal capacity. It used applications from Bentley to help design the electrical system, perform calculations, and model all equipment in 3D, ensuring data alignment and integrity. This reduced design time by 70 percent compared with traditional 2D methods, according to the developers. A complex power plant project, the Fuping Thermal Power Plant was the first of its kind to integrate an air cooling tower, desulfurization tower, low-position smokestack, and a wet dust collector into a single stack. This CNY 2.6 billion (USD 401 million) thermal power plant uses two 350-megawatt supercritical air-cooled heat units and was designed by the Northwest Electric Power Design Institute with Bentley applications. Upon completion, the new plant will replace an existing high-pollution, low-efficiency heating boiler. Exporting Expertise The vast geographical span of China has also prompted development of a more efficient energy transmission system. High levels of curtailment in response to a lack of export capacity is preventing the most effective use of renewable energy assets as China expands its domestic energy production and looks to shift power from renewable energy resource-rich regions in the west of the country to demand centers in the east. With the national grid largely run by the State Grid Corporation of China, the country is building expertise in ultra-high voltage DC transmission systems of 800-kilovolts and up. New UHVDC projects are already under development while the current five-year plan envisages an investment of some USD 350 billion on grids. By 2020, the capacity of the ultra-high voltage network is expected to be of the order of 300 gigawatts. Even while China is still developing bigger and more efficient plants and the high voltage DC transmission to push that power east, they are also focused on taking that technology and exporting it. Already building a UHVDC line in Brazil, this move to develop export capabilities is also expanding into other areas of power technology. For example, China has developed the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor design to produce the larger CAP1400 reactor and is looking to export to markets in Turkey and South Africa among others. Similarly, large scale hydropower development in Africa, South America, and Asia is being backed by cutting edge technology as well as finance. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 7

9 Faced with the challenges of such an ambitious energy strategy, China has turned to advanced methodologies like BIM in order to deliver on its promise. Increasing complexity means it is no longer enough to use a traditional approach to energy development projects, even in the large-scale markets seen in China. By embracing new capabilities and techniques to become far more sophisticated in its approach, China is rapidly adopting an asset performance-focused design process right across the energy sector value chain. This forwardthinking philosophy is supporting not only the realization of its domestic energy goals, but it is also helping China to build on its export economy plans and lead the world in global energy development. Outlook for BIM The future for power technology is increasingly digital in nature, which is a point noted by a growing number of industry observers. Power systems continue to evolve at a great rate, Russell Ray, editor of Power Engineering magazine, said. Building information modeling will be invaluable to power producers in the future; we are turning to many more sources of distributed generation such as reciprocating engines, roof-top solar, and combined heat and power. They are much more complex than yesterday s technology. I think BIM is going to be part of the fabric of the power industry. Certainly, power is an essential component of our lives and BIM is helping to weave that much-needed energy into our changing world. An example comes from the congested capital city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, where Power China Ltd. subsidiary Hubei Electric Engineering Corp. (HEEC) needed to build a large substation amid dense urban surroundings in a compact space and with a complicated arrangement of cables of varying voltages. Requiring precise design and engineering on a tight schedule, HEEC relied on Bentley design and analysis applications to ensure accurate information sharing and to avoid the risk of clashes between electrical, structural, irrigation, HVAC, and construction works on the 220-kilovolt and two-story indoor substation. Implementing an integrated, collaborative 3D modeling approach allowed the multiple disciplines to work in parallel, avoiding potential collisions and saving both time and costs. Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 8

10 About Bentley Bentley Systems is a global leader in providing engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley users leverage information mobility across disciplines and throughout the infrastructure lifecycle to deliver better-performing projects and assets. Bentley solutions encompass MicroStation applications for information modeling, ProjectWise collaboration services to deliver integrated projects, and AssetWise operations services to achieve intelligent infrastructure complemented by managed services offered through customized Success Plans. Founded in 1984, Bentley has more than 3,000 colleagues in over 50 countries, more than $600 million in annual revenues, and since 2011 has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions. TO LEARN MORE: Contact us at the office nearest you or visit us online at: Corporate Headquarters Bentley Systems, Incorporated 685 Stockton Drive Exton, PA United States BENTLEY ( ) Outside of the United States Bentley EMEA Bentley Systems International Limited 2 Park Place, Upper Hatch Street Dublin 2, D02 NP94, Ireland Bentley Asia Bentley Systems (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Unit , Tower China Central Place, Beijing , China Bentley Systems Incorporated. Bentley, the B logo, AssetWise, ProjectWise, MicroStation and OpenRoads are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated, or one of its direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. 3/18 Enabling China s Clean Energy Drive 9