Wind and solar power don’t require fuel, but they have a long-standing problem: they’re at the mercy of the weather. When the wind blows hard, they generate more power; when there’s no wind, they grind to a halt. For them to truly become the mainstay of the power grid, the grid will have to fundamentally change the way it operates.

I. The Framework of the New Power System

In traditional power grids, generation follows demand—power generation is driven by electricity consumption. The new power system works the other way around: it combines a high proportion of renewable energy with energy storage and flexible regulation resources (pumped-storage, electrochemical storage, demand response, and vehicle-to-grid interaction with electric vehicles), all supported by smarter dispatch. Simply put, it allows electricity to be shifted both in time and space.

Comparison Traditional Power Systems New Power System
Power Supply Configuration Primarily coal-fired power High proportion of renewable energy
Adjustment Methods Unit Start-up and Shutdown Energy Storage + Demand Response + V2G
Core Conflict Supply-Demand Balance Fluctuation Absorption

II. How Is Green Electricity Converted into Green Hydrogen?

Sometimes there is an excess of wind and solar power that cannot be consumed locally—this is known as curtailed wind and solar power. Using this surplus electricity to electrolyze water and produce hydrogen effectively transforms the “spatial and temporal mismatch” of electricity into hydrogen that can be stored long-term. When that hydrogen is then used in steelmaking, to power heavy-duty trucks, or as a chemical feedstock, the energy landscape is completely redefined.

III. Several Unavoidable Hurdles

First is grid integration—how to minimize curtailment of wind and solar power; second is cross-regional transmission, which relies on ultra-high-voltage lines to deliver electricity from the west to the east; and finally, there is the electricity market mechanism, which encourages flexible generation resources to contribute capacity and share profits. Only when these three issues are properly addressed will the transition from green electricity to green hydrogen run smoothly.

Green electricity is the means, and green hydrogen is the medium; only when the two work together can we bridge the gap between “availability, storage, and transmission.”

The energy landscape is being reshaped, not because any single technology is particularly advanced, but because power generation, energy storage, and electricity consumption are being considered as a single network for the first time.