Project Description:
I. Project Background
Fulou Village is located in Sanyizhai Township, Lankao County, Kaifeng City, Henan Province, on the southern bank of the Yellow River, with a total population of 1,614 distributed across 467 households in the administrative village and 226 households in the core natural village. It is the cradle of the Jiao Yulu Spirit (the spirit of CPC cadres serving the people and working hard) and the core sample of the first national pilot county for rural energy revolution construction in China. Before project launch, the village was a national-level poverty-stricken village, facing several pain points in energy development common in rural areas. Firstly, energy costs were excessively high. Residents were subject to tiered electricity pricing, with electricity costs ranging from 0.08 US dollars per kWh to 0.12 US dollars per kWh, making villagers "reluctant to use electricity" and rendering it difficult to meet livelihood needs such as clean heating and electrified living; secondly, energy infrastructure was severely weak. The rural power grid was designed for one-way power supply, featuring a loose structure, low automation level, and limited carrying capacity, which could not adapt to the large-scale integration of distributed energy; thirdly, clean energy resources were largely idle. The whole village possessed abundant rooftop, pond, and open space resources, with an annual average effective sunshine duration of 1,200 hours, and wind energy resources suitable for decentralized development. However, these resources were not systematically utilized, and a large amount of renewable energy potential was wasted; fourthly, the rural collective economy lacked stable operating income. Relying solely on traditional agricultural planting, the economic foundation was weak and unable to support the upgrade of village-level public services and infrastructure.
To resolve the core issues of unbalanced and inadequate rural energy development, and in response to the dual calls of China's Dual Carbon Goals and Rural Revitalization Strategy, the project takes President Xi's new energy security strategy of "Four Revolutions and One Cooperation" as the fundamental guideline, and deeply practices the requirements of the Three Principles of County Governance (strengthening counties and enriching people, integrating reform and development, and connecting urban and rural areas). In November 2022, the whole-village integrated source-grid-load-storage transformation was officially launched, carrying out a bottom-up "energy experiment". Abandoning the blind rooftop PV installation model, the project directly addressed deep-seated issues such as inadequate grid carrying capacity, extensive operation and maintenance (O&M), and lack of a sound profit distribution mechanism. Through the physical reconstruction of all factors of "source-grid-load-storage" and the digital empowerment of "cloud-edge synergy", it innovatively constructed a sustainable development model characterized by "village collective leadership + enterprise leasing + microgrid self-governance", aiming to achieve the core goal of "strengthening counties, enriching people, and pursuing green development".
II. Project Plan
Specifically, the project systematically integrated various idle resources in the village to build an intelligent microgrid system at the village level:
Regarding Source-side construction, it fully tapped the potential of rooftops, ponds, and open spaces, completing a distributed photovoltaic system with a total installed capacity of 1.1 MWp (1.8 MWp in the planning stage). This includes 705.84 kWp of residential photovoltaic on 31 farmers' rooftops, 125.35 kWp of industrial and commercial photovoltaic systems on the village's glass noodle factory rooftop, a 242.385 kWp lake-encircling PV corridor (combining power generation and leisure landscape functions) around the pond of the elderly care center, and 35.425 kWp of PV for the PV carports; simultaneously, two decentralized micro wind power turbines with a total installed capacity of 25 kW (one 5 kW and one 20 kW) were deployed, utilizing low wind speed resources to supplement the power supply gap at night and on rainy days. This formed a clean energy supply pattern of "PV power as the main source and wind power as the supplement", achieving an annual power generation of 1.31 million kWh.
Regarding Grid-side transformation, an investment of 66,000 US dollars was made to construct a 1.5 km low-voltage distribution grid reconstruction project. Adopting a combination of three-phase buried cables and wall-mounted cable trays, it covered 226 households in the village and replaced all original one-way meters with bidirectional smart electric meters. This constructed an independently controllable, observable and measurable village-level distribution grid, completely solving the problems of traditional rural power grids such as insufficient bidirectional power flow carrying capacity and severe voltage fluctuation, providing a solid physical foundation for the local consumption of distributed energy.
Regarding Storage-side configuration, aiming at the intermittency of PV power generation and the characteristic of rural loads being "low during the day and high at night", lithium iron phosphate energy storage systems with a total capacity of 550 kW/1100 kWh were decentrally deployed beside 5 transformer substations in the village. Adopting the scientific configuration logic of "a power ratio of about 50% and a discharge duration of 2 hours", it serves as the "energy sponge" of the village-level energy system for peak shaving and valley filling, smoothing voltage fluctuation, and ensuring power supply stability. The energy storage system has a cycle life of ≥6000 times, featuring high safety and a long service life.
Regarding Load-side optimization, the project focused on promoting green electrification substitution and flexible load construction. It built a 314 kW PV-storage-charging EV station, including two 120 kW DC fast charging piles, two 7 kW AC slow charging piles, and one 60 kW V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) charging/discharging pile, supporting electric vehicles to participate in grid interaction as mobile energy storage; carbon fiber floor heating systems of 240 m² and 100 m² were laid in the village collective office area and the elderly care center, utilizing green power to achieve clean heating.
Regarding digital empowerment, the Tianshu-1 Integrated Smart Energy Management Platform, independently developed by SPIC, was comprehensively deployed to construct the "Cloud-Edge-Terminal" Architecture, achieving second-level monitoring, millisecond-level real-time control, and automated settlement of all elements in source-grid-load-storage. The platform can collect the power generation and consumption data of the 226 smart electric meters in the village in real time, automatically generate the optimal charge-discharge strategy, and use its built-in clearing and settlement engine to ensure the transparent distribution of interests among all parties.
Other expected development:
Town Policy, Vision or Objective
What is the policy, vision, or objective of the town?
I. Policy Basis
Economy level: Responding to the "Dual Carbon Goals", Rural Revitalization strategy, and the Three Principles of County Governance (strengthening counties and enriching people, integrating reform and development, and connecting urban and rural areas).
Provincial level: Relying on policies such as the Implementation Rules for Integrated Source-Grid-Load-Storage Projects in Rural Areas of Henan Province to enjoy support for rural new energy development.
Pilot policy: As the first batch of whole-village integrated Source-Grid-Load-Storage pilots in Henan Province, it is included in special project management.
II. Core Vision
Create a replicable "zero-carbon village" model, build the smallest practical unit of rural new power systems, and achieve energy self-sufficiency, green and low-carbon development, and win-win outcomes for all parties.
III. Specific Goals
Energy goals: The green power self-sufficiency rate exceeds 80%, the self-power supply ratio is not less than 80%, and the local consumption rate is approximately 80%.
Economic and livelihood goals: The uniform electricity pricing for villagers is reduced to 0.07 US dollars per kWh, and the rural collective economy's annual income increases by about 14,050 US dollars.
Model goals: Innovate the model of "central enterprise investment, village collective operation, and villager benefit sharing", providing the "Lankao Solution" for the rural energy transition in China.
Brief outline of the low carbon town development plan:
I. Geographical Features
Fulou Village is located at the northwest border of Lankao County, on the southern bank of the Yellow River. The village covers a regional area of 3.2 km², with flat and open terrain. The idle rooftop resources reach 23,000 m² (18,000 m² of residential rooftops, 3,000 m² of public building rooftops, and 2,000 m² of industrial factory rooftops), and the pond water area is 0.5 km². With excellent wind and solar energy resource endowments, it has the conditions for large-scale development of distributed energy.
II. Current Energy Infrastructure
1. Source side: 1.1 MWp distributed photovoltaic (31 residential households, 1 glass noodle factory, 1 lake-encircling corridor, and 1 PV carport) and 25kW decentralized micro wind power, generating 1.31 million kWh annually;
2. Storage and Distribution side: 550 kW/1100 kWh distributed energy storage (decentrally deployed across 5 transformer substations) and 1.5-km low-voltage distribution grid transformation (three-phase buried cables, covering 226 households), realizing controllable, observable and measurable full elements of source-grid-load-storage;
3. Load side: 314 kW PV-storage-charging EV station (including two 120 kW DC fast charging piles, 2 7 kW AC slow charging piles, and 1 60kW V2G charging/discharging pile), carbon fiber floor heating, biomass sewage treatment device, and intelligent irrigation system (9.9 kWp direct PV power supply);
4. Control system: The Tianshu-1 Integrated Smart Energy Management Platform achieves coordinated scheduling of source-grid-load-storage, automatic clearing and settlement, and intelligent O&M management.
III. Planning Scope
Distributed power sources: Build 1.8 MWp distributed photovoltaic (utilizing spaces such as farmers' rooftops, factory rooftops, and the lake-encircling corridor) and 25 kW micro wind power to form a wind-solar complementation system.
Energy storage system: Configure a 900 kW/1878 kWh lithium iron phosphate energy storage system to ensure time-shifting energy storage and supply and demand balance.
Distribution and charging facilities: Build a new 315 kVA dedicated packaged transformer substation, supporting a 314 kW charging pile cluster (including V2G charging/discharging piles); perform transformer capacity expansion for existing transformer substations to meet new load demands.
Intelligent dispatching platform: Build a microgrid management system with "Cloud-Edge-Terminal" coordination, integrating functions such as energy management, intelligent O&M, and load forecasting to achieve control of integrated source-grid-load-storage.
IV. Low-Carbon and Livability Goals
Improvement of living quality: Promote flexible load applications such as "PV + carbon fiber" clean heating and intelligent agricultural irrigation to improve living and production environments; low electricity prices stimulate villagers' demand for household appliances, enhancing living comfort.
Infrastructure optimization: Improve supporting facilities such as charging piles and energy-saving transformation of public buildings to adapt to green travel and public service needs, enhancing the village's livability functions.
Coordinated industrial development: Attract industrial return with the advantage of low electricity prices, plan to introduce projects such as heating equipment manufacturing factories to drive employment and rural collective economy growth, and realize a virtuous cycle of "green power - industrial development - income augmentation".
Current stage of development of the town:
☐ Planning stage
☐ Construction stage
☒ Already existing
Start date of the project: 2022
Completion date of the project: 2025
Low Carbon Measures
Does your low carbon town or development plan have CO2 emission reduction target?
☒ Yes
☐ No
Key low carbon measures employed or to be employed
Urban functions
☐ Compact city design
☐ Heat island effect countermeasures
☒ Efficient road arrangement plan
☐ Well-developed public transportation
☐ Car sharing
☐ Intelligent transportation systems
☒ Plan for highly efficient infrastructure
☐ Other
Industry sector
☐ Factory energy management system
☒ Other: green power + sewage treatment, green power used in the village glass noodle factory
Transport sector
☐ Bus rapid transit (BRT)
☐ Light rail transit (LRT)
☐ Intra-city community bicycle
☒ Electric vehicle
☐ Electric buses
☒ LED street lamp
☐ Other
Residential sector
☐ Fuel cells
☒ Low-emission or zero-emission houses
☒ Environmentally friendly home appliances
☒ PV panel
☒ Solar water heating facilities
☐ Heat-pump hot water supply with natural refrigerant
☒ Natural light utilization
☐ Low emission glass
☒ Home energy management system (HEMS)
☐ Thermal storage air conditioning system
☒ Other: Carbon fiber floor heating
Commercial sector
☒ Low-emission building or zero-emission building
☐ High insulation/highly airtight materials
☐ Sun shading system
☐ High performance facade
☐ Low emission glass
☐ Double skin facade
☒ Roof greening
☒ High-efficiency air conditioning facilities
☒ LED/Inverter lighting
☒ Natural light utilization
☒ Building energy management system (BEMS)
☐ Thermal storage air conditioning system
☐ Other
Renewable energy
☒ PV power generation
☐ Solar thermal utilization
☐ Biomass power generation
☒ Wind power generation
☐ Geo-thermal power generation
☐ Micro-hydroelectric power generation
☐ Others
Other supply side measures: (Enter other supply side measures here, if any)
Demand and supply side measures
☒ Advanced metering infrastructure
☒ Smart grid system
☐ Power capacitor system
☒ Area energy management system
☒ Others: Tianshu-1 system
Estimated cost savings in implementing low-carbon measures: Break down by Activity/Sector, potential source, estimated savings – e.g.: Residential sector, Fuel cells, 150 $US/household/year (per year/per unit of energy, etc.)
By replacing traditional grid electricity with distributed photovoltaic and energy storage, villagers can save about 20% on electricity costs annually per household, and households with rooftop leasing can earn an additional 10% in annual income; in the village collective sector, relying on the "village generation for village use + surplus power to the grid" model, power purchase costs can be saved annually, gaining a net annual profit of about 14,050 US dollars; in the energy supply sector, local consumption of green power by the intelligent microgrid reduces transmission and distribution losses. It is expected to lower the power supply guarantee costs at the end of the main grid annually. Enterprises secure stable returns through equipment leasing, guaranteeing the sustainability of the model.
Estimated energy consumption before completion of the project:
Estimated energy consumption before completion of the project: Approximately 360 GJ/year (calculated based on the village's annual power consumption of 1 million kWh in 2024: 1 million kWh × 3.6 MJ/kWh = 3,600,000 MJ = 360 GJ).
Estimated energy consumption after completion of the project:
Estimated energy consumption after completion of the project: With a power generation of 2.1 million kWh and 1.2 million kWh for local consumption, 85% of the whole village's power consumption is supplied by local green power.
Project Management
What central/local government departments are/will be involved in development of the project?
1. National Energy Administration of Chinese economy: In the project research, technical guidance, and pilot certification stages, it defined the project's positioning as a rural energy revolution pilot and provided policy support.
2. Development and Reform Commission of Henan Province: In the policy formulation and planning approval stages, it issued the Implementation Rules for Integrated Source-Grid-Load-Storage Projects in Rural Areas of Henan Province, providing a policy basis for the project.
3. Lankao County Party Committee and People's Government: In the whole-process overall coordination and organization and implementation stages, it led the establishment of the village collective company and coordinated key links such as rooftop resources, land planning, and grid connection.
4. Lankao County Development and Reform Commission: In the project promotion, grid connection coordination, and supervision and management stages, it is responsible for daily management such as project filing, grid connection acceptance, and operation monitoring.
5. Lankao County Sanyizhai Township People's Government: In the primary-level coordination and villager mobilization stages, it assisted in completing farmers' rooftop contracting, construction coordination, etc.
What private company, non-governmental organizations are/will be involved in development of the project?
1. SPIC Integrated Smart Energy Co., Ltd.: In the project investment, technology R&D, construction implementation, and O&M support stages, it is responsible for investing in equipment procurement and construction, providing technical support for the Tianshu-1 management platform, and undertaking O&M services.
2. Shaanxi Huntech New Energy Planning and Design Co., Ltd.: In the planning and design and scheme design stages, it compiled the project feasibility study report and technical schemes.
3. Baoding Huadian Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd.: In the engineering design and technical consulting stages, it is responsible for engineering design such as distribution grid transformation and equipment layout;
4. Songshan Laboratory: In the technological innovation and system testing stages, it participates in the R&D and testing verification of microgrid collaborative control technologies.
How is/will be the development of the town funded?
I. Financing Sources, Finance Options, and Financial Structure
1. Fixed Asset Investment
The total project investment is over 562,000 US dollars.
2. Sources of Construction Funds
The construction funds come from capital funds and bank loans. The capital fund accounts for 20% of the static investment, and the remaining funds are covered by bank loans.
3. Financial Structure: The project investment mainly includes PV systems, energy storage systems, distribution grid transformation, and digitalization and management;