Changzhou's First Customer-Side "Smart Power Bank" Connected to Grid

CHANGZHOU, China, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 14, Changzhou's first customer-side grid-forming energy storage project was successfully connected to the grid at Qishuyan Rail Transit Industrial Park in Changzhou Economic Development Zone. Known as a user-side "smart power bank," the system enables the industrial park to operate in off-grid "island mode" during unexpected power outages. It also helps the park reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 3,530 tons, equivalent to planting 196,000 trees, providing a new model for building a regional "near-zero carbon" park benchmark and a power-outage-free demonstration park.

As the largest industrial park in Changzhou Economic Development Zone, Rail Transit Industrial Park is home to more than 100 enterprises, forming a comprehensive industrial system led by the rail transit industry and supported by automotive electronics, optoelectronic materials, and high-end equipment manufacturing. In recent years, with rapid industrial development, the park has faced practical challenges in energy utilization. The park's peak power load reaches 8,230 kilowatts, with an annual electricity consumption of approximately 22.3 million kilowatt-hours, leading to high electricity costs. Meanwhile, fragmented energy management and a lack of digital energy monitoring and analysis tools have resulted in a self-consumption rate of only 65% for the existing 6,518 kilowatts of distributed photovoltaic power. Refined energy management has become an urgent necessity.

To promote efficient energy use in the park, the Administrative Committee of Changzhou Economic Development Zone and State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company signed a cooperation agreement in March 2025. Following the model of "government promotion, grid demonstration, enterprise implementation, and social co-construction," the microgrid project was launched in the park. The project is equipped with 3,450 kW/8,360 kWh of grid-forming energy storage, 70 kW of V2G vehicle-grid interaction facilities, and an integrated microgrid management and control platform. Serving as the "intelligent brain," the platform coordinates and controls distributed PV, energy storage, charging facilities, air conditioning, and other user-side adjustable resources, achieving 100% consumption of distributed PV and maintaining the park's energy flow at the "optimal solution."

"Compared with traditional grid-following energy storage, grid-forming energy storage has independent voltage and frequency support capabilities, which can significantly improve the stability of the park's microgrid. In the event of a main grid failure or abnormal voltage and frequency, it can independently supply power in island mode to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the park, further enhancing power supply reliability for critical loads in the park," said Zhu Yuanji, Deputy Director of the Urban Power Supply Service Center of State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company.

At present, the park's microgrid management and control platform has been launched and connected to the Economic Development Zone's virtual power plant operation platform. Under intelligent algorithmic control, energy storage, PV, charging piles, and production loads realize coordinated operation of "source-grid-load-storage." Through real-time monitoring by the district-level virtual power plant operation platform, the park's microgrid can receive load regulation commands, flexibly adjust the output of PV and energy storage during peak electricity consumption periods, increase the PV self-consumption rate from 65% to 100%, and benefit from demand response subsidies, achieving centralized and efficient energy use and optimized operation costs.

SOURCE State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company