UHV technology is particularly efficient at transmitting green electricity from wind- and solar-rich regions to megacities. This summer, the national capital city of Beijing was supplied with green electricity through a "solar-wind relay."

　　Pulsing through two UHV transmission lines, solar power generated in northwestern Qinghai Province helped meet Beijing"s daytime demand, while wind power from turbines in northeastern Heilongjiang Province took over after nightfall.

　　Renewable energy, notably, is playing an increasingly vital role in powering the national grid. By the end of 2025, renewable energy had accounted for more than 60 percent of China"s total installed power generation capacity. A national plan for renewable energy development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), released last month, aims to further strengthen renewable energy"s role in supporting the power system.

　　BALANCING EBB, FLOW

　　Meeting the summer peak is not just about bringing in more power. The ability to balance supply and demand in real time matters just as much.

　　In Shandong Province, energy storage facilities have been running at full tilt, offering much-needed backup power to the grid. On Aug. 3, State Grid Shandong Electric Power Company organized a province-wide coordinated dispatch of energy storage facilities, as midday and evening peak-hour demand hit record highs.

　　In the evening that day, 172 energy storage power stations across the province, including 73 stand-alone stations and 99 others built as supporting facilities to new energy projects, began discharging simultaneously. Their combined discharge capacity peaked at 11.98 million kilowatts.