China Advances Grid-Forming Renewable Project to Tackle Power Stability Challenges

Construction is progressing on the Zhangbei grid-forming substation in Hebei Province, a national demonstration project developed by State Grid Jibei Zhangjiakou Wind-Solar-Storage New Energy Co., Ltd., to strengthen grid stability amid high renewable penetration

Photo Courtesy of Yajin Li

HOUSTON, June 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Civil construction is progressing on schedule for the 220 kV step-up substation of the Zhangbei grid-forming renewable energy project, a national demonstration site for wind, solar, and energy storage developed by State Grid Jibei Zhangjiakou Wind-Solar-Storage New Energy Co., Ltd. The substation engineering design, led by Yin Zhang, is intended to provide a scalable model for grid stability under high renewable penetration.

The 220 kV step-up substation entered the design phase in October 2024, with all construction drawings completed by November 2025. The project has now moved fully into the civil construction stage in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province.

The system links wind, solar, and energy storage resources to actively support grid stability. This capability is becoming an important requirement for modern power systems carrying large volumes of inverter-based generation.

According to the International Energy Agency, global renewable capacity is expected to nearly double between 2025 and 2030. High levels of inverter-based generation reduce grid inertia, which makes voltage and frequency regulation more difficult for grid operators around the world.

Grid-forming control originated in microgrid research decades ago and has since emerged as one technical answer to these stability challenges. Scaling it to large, centralized renewable energy bases remains difficult, requiring coordination across multiple energy sources, system-wide engineering, and reliable operation under varied environmental conditions.

Yin Zhang, the project lead, has more than a decade of experience in substation engineering, including international grid work. His earlier involvement in the South Africa 132 kV DUMA Substation and 22 kV Distribution Network Project, along with grid upgrades in Juba, South Sudan, exposed him to power systems operating under different technical standards and often weaker grid conditions.

That background has directly informed the methodology applied to the Zhangbei project.

"A solution only matters if it works in the real world," Zhang said. "Working across different countries showed me how much grid standards, environmental constraints, and operational systems can vary. For this project, we focused from the beginning on making the design practical, scalable, and replicable; embedding grid-forming requirements into every detail of the substation."

Faced with tight timelines and complex technical interfaces, Zhang's team established a cross-disciplinary coordination framework and conducted multiple rounds of technical validation. The resulting design pairs primary electrical systems with protection and control architectures tailored to grid-forming operation.

The project addresses several technical challenges. It adapts substation systems to support grid-forming functionality, allowing renewable sources to actively contribute to grid stability. It manages the coordinated linkage of wind, solar, and storage through optimized system configuration and protection schemes. It also incorporates measures for reliable operation in Zhangbei's harsh winter climate, including low-temperature equipment selection and structural adaptations.

The project draws on existing energy storage infrastructure, which reduces construction time and overall investment. This offers a practical model for upgrading earlier-generation renewable energy sites that now require modernization.

China's grid-forming energy storage sector has entered a rapid growth phase, moving from pilot projects toward larger-scale deployment. Engineering experience from Zhangbei is expected to inform later developments across northern China's large-scale renewable energy bases.

At the national level, the project is expected to strengthen the grid support capability of the Zhangbei renewable energy base, improving power system stability and the volume of renewable energy that can be reliably transmitted. It also contributes to China's broader carbon reduction and energy security goals.

Many emerging economies are only beginning to scale renewable energy and often face weak grid infrastructure. Zhang and his team represent a growing pool of engineering experience that could inform similar work worldwide.

The project will next move into equipment installation and system commissioning, a phase that will test how effectively grid-forming technologies can be deployed at scale.

About

State Grid Jibei Zhangjiakou Wind-Solar-Storage New Energy Co., Ltd. develops and operates renewable energy and grid infrastructure projects in northern China, with a focus on wind, solar, and energy storage integration. The Zhangbei grid-forming renewable energy project is one of the company's national demonstration sites for advancing power system stability under high renewable penetration.

Contact Information:

Name: Yin Zhang
Company Name: State Grid Jibei Zhangjiakou Wind-Solar-Storage New Energy Co., Ltd.
Website: https://www.cszec.com/
Email: fengli7517@gmail.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/05ba14c8-3371-4b79-990f-dfc693ad7f95

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