As an important part of China's energy system, rural energy is the cornerstone and guarantee of rural economic and social development. It is also an important engine and starting point for China's energy revolution and low-carbon transformation. In the process of accelerating the construction of a new energy system, how to make full use of and give full play to rural resource advantages to better support China's energy revolution and low-carbon transformation? How to carry out a pilot test of the new energy supply system revolution in rural areas? How to solve the difficulties in developing new energy in rural areas? Recently, a reporter from China Energy Media interviewed Jiang Yi, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor of Tsinghua University, on the above issues.

** Zhongneng Media:** You mentioned in the "New Rural Energy System for Carbon Neutrality" forum that the new rural energy system is a breakthrough point in China's energy revolution. Can you explain the significance of this breakthrough?

** Jiang Yi:** The core task of China's energy revolution is to build a zero-carbon power system and a zero-carbon fuel production, supply and marketing system. Based on this goal, the development of new energy in rural areas should at least "kill three birds with one arrow".

First, rural areas have huge space resources and biomass material resources. In the future zero-carbon energy system, they will change from current energy consumers to energy suppliers. They will not only take the lead in achieving carbon neutrality, but also provide zero-carbon energy. The system has made outstanding contributions. Therefore, the construction of new rural energy systems will become a key task in China's energy transformation.

Second, rural areas will play a key role in the future energy structure system. It is estimated that the current annual electricity consumption in rural areas is less than 350 billion kilowatt hours, plus only 500 billion kilowatt hours for agricultural production. In other words, the actual electricity consumption in rural areas is only 1/5 of the future roof photovoltaic potential in rural areas. Therefore, the comprehensive development and utilization of rural roof resources for photovoltaic power generation can fully meet the full energy use of rural life, production and transportation, replace coal, fuel, gas and biomass, and promote the comprehensive electrification of rural areas. Agriculture, forestry and pastoral areas will be able to completely eliminate all coal-fired fuel and gas, and will no longer burn straw. At the same time, after the full electrification of rural areas, even if the electricity consumption will increase with the improvement of living and production standards, rural areas can still output rich electricity to the large power grid to support the national energy system. At the same time, after the rural areas have been fully electrified, the biomass materials that are "replaced" can be processed into commercial fuels in the form of solid, liquid or gas and enter the fuel market. Therefore, the rural areas of the future will export not only grain, but also valuable zero-carbon electricity and zero-carbon fuel.

Third, the countryside can be regarded as an excellent experimental place to try the new power system policy mechanism, which can play a leading and pilot role in the further realization of the new power system construction with the combination of centralization and distribution in the whole country. The construction of a new village-based power system will transform the rural power network from a top-down power distribution network to a distributed power generation network. How to connect this distributed power grid with the local power grid, its management authority, online power sales rules, electricity sales price and so on are still the blank areas of the policy mechanism. Only through the experiment and in-depth study of the typical exemplary village network, can we establish a new mechanism and new business model that not only meets the security requirements of the power grid, but also supports the sale of electricity to the Internet, and meets the requirements of normal power consumption in rural areas. The establishment of this new model also has important reference significance for the further development of urban distributed power system and active distribution network. The new power system needs new supporting policy mechanisms, and these policy mechanisms must be constantly trial and error and iterative in practice before they can be gradually formed. The construction of a new rural power system is our first step towards a new zero-carbon power system.

** Zhongneng Media:** What vital benefits can carrying out energy-saving renovation of buildings in rural areas bring to rural people?

Jiang Yi: 为农民形成新的经济收入，为消除城乡差别找到新的途径。设想未来土地集权化后的某种粮户，通过出售粮食可实现年收入5万元，通过全面回收粮食作物的秸杆，并利用光伏所发电力加工成生物质燃料出售，可实现增收1.5万～2万元，如果再通过出售自家光伏剩余电量2万千瓦时，再增收1万元，则全年收入就可以由目前的5万元增加到8万～9万元。这将显著改善种粮户的经济状况，缩小城乡差别。

** Zhongneng Media:** Judging from the current practice in various places, what are the difficulties in developing new energy in rural areas?

Jiang Yi: 第一个实际问题是缺少金融机制，也就是建设资金从哪里来的问题。按照前期工程示范，农村“光储直柔”系统的户均投资是6万～10万元。系统建成后，不仅能够满足农房所有用电需求，还可以向外输出大约1.5万千瓦时的电用于偿还初投资。公共部分的建设投资每百户大概200万～400万元，针对300户的一个自然村，需要1000万元左右公共建设资金。在过去的十年，国家针对农村能源问题出台了大量的补贴政策。此外，还有农村电费补贴、农机具购买补贴、柴油补贴等。这些政策和资金覆盖面都很好，但是通过不同渠道下拨，没有形成合力。如果将这些资金有效汇集起来，完全可以解改村网基础设施投资问题。建成后会产生稳定收益，可以为村集体、村民创收，从而形成正向循环。当然，还存在上网电价、消纳“红区”及标准化问题等。而农村的新能源系统建设又与这一系列政策机制密切相关。

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作者：赵悦婧   视频：冯聪聪编辑：张宇校对：孔欣慰