According to data from the State Grid, the State Grid system is expected to connect over 1 billion terminal devices by 2025, and this number will reach 2 billion by 2030. The power IoT has become the largest single IoT ecosystem in terms of connected devices, facilitating the transformation of the power system from a traditional grid to an energy internet.
01
Ecological Evolution: From Ubiquitous Connectivity to Continuous Empowerment of the Power IoT
The growth of the power IoT has witnessed the deepening of the IoT from concept to implementation:
-
2018:
The concept of ubiquitous power IoT was proposed, establishing a communication network and edge computing capabilities through the deployment of numerous sensors and metering devices, enabling grid equipment to possess spatial-temporal perception and local analytical intelligence, connecting people, machines, and objects in real-time across all aspects of energy production and consumption, fully supporting and integrating power production operations, enterprise management, and external customer service.
-
2021:
Initiated the construction of a new power system centered on renewable energy, promoting energy data sharing and business collaboration from energy big data models and departmental process informatization to integrated operation and maintenance. At this point, the grid transitioned from a naturally monopolistic infrastructure to an energy service ecological platform, fully activating the vitality of competition in the retail market of the distribution network.
-
2024:
The State Grid’s Bright Model and the Southern Grid’s Big Watt were released, achieving networked collaboration across business points, lines, and surfaces, with M2M intelligent networks deeply penetrating, AI algorithms driving energy dispatch optimization, and constructing an ecological system covering source, network, load, and storage. The power IoT has upgraded from device connectivity to a value symbiosis network.
After extensive deployment and upgrades of IoT systems, China’s power system has reached a world-leading level in grid observation and control. The transmission network has achieved observability, controllability, and manageability; the construction of distribution automation systems is continuously advancing, with plans to achieve 100% coverage of distribution automation across the entire network by 2025; various online monitoring and intelligent early warning systems are ubiquitous; based on the PMS2.0 system, the full lifecycle management of major power equipment has been largely completed in the past two years; the State Grid’s smart vehicle networking platform has connected 80% of public charging piles in society, becoming the largest, most numerous, and most capable charging pile network globally.
02
Reviewing the Successful Experiences of the Power IoT Over the Past Decade: “Internal Coordination + Closed-loop Management”
The continuous development of the power IoT relies on the closed-loop management capability of the entire process from “transmission – generation – distribution – delivery – dispatching”. Its successful path is specifically reflected in the systematic coordination of architecture, perception, and data across three dimensions:
At the architectural level,the key transformation from fragmented construction to systematic deployment has been achieved. The State Grid Corporation took the lead in constructing an integrated framework based on “collection – transmission – storage – application” as a closed loop, which has been fully promoted in provincial and municipal companies. This architecture clarifies the collection targets and responsible entities for various devices and data, establishing a data ownership system to eliminate redundant collection and unclear responsibilities from the source; the transmission layer coordinates various technologies such as power fiber optics and encrypted wireless virtual private networks, flexibly networking according to different business scenarios; data storage relies on the enterprise middle platform to achieve capability accumulation, promoting data reusability and sharing; ultimately, at the application layer, professional systems can be quickly constructed, even incorporating new technologies such as large models, enabling the entire system to possess continuous evolution capabilities.
In terms of perception deployment,the previous blind and redundant construction of terminal access has been changed to global coordination and resilient deployment. By establishing a collection management mechanism, it ensures that similar terminals are not redundantly deployed and that the same data is only collected once, reducing costs and ensuring data consistency. Main network devices are fully connected to power fiber optics to ensure high reliability, while distribution network devices primarily use fiber optics and virtual private networks for flexible expansion, and mobile terminals such as drones and robots rely on power wireless private networks to support their operational mobility. This scene-based networking model ensures that perception devices do not become obsolete due to network upgrades, achieving long-term online operation and continuous empowerment.
In terms of data management,the transition from resource dispersion and unclear responsibilities to a clear closed loop has been made. By systematically sorting the three major categories of authoritative data sources: “main network – distribution network – non-electric”, the collection subjects and management responsibilities for each type of data are clarified: main network data includes power generation stations, substation control, and grid assets; distribution network data includes medium-voltage controlled devices, low-voltage distribution, and user electricity information; non-electric data extends to equipment monitoring, environmental perception, video, and carbon data. Mechanisms are established to clarify who collects, who transmits, who stores, and who applies the data, avoiding situations where data is unmanaged and unused.
03
Future Outlook: Building a Data-Intelligent Driven New Ecology of the Energy Internet
After a decade of development, the power IoT has established the largest single IoT ecosystem globally. Looking to the future, it is necessary to further focus on the construction of high-quality data sets and the deep integration of artificial intelligence, promoting the transition of the power system from observability and controllability to intelligent self-healing, achieving a value upgrade from an energy transmission hub to a comprehensive energy service platform.
Building a high-quality power data resource system to solidify the foundation for intelligence.It is recommended to rely on the national new power system construction needs to systematically promote the construction of high-quality data sets for the power IoT. On one hand, around business scenarios such as source-network-load-storage coordination, renewable energy grid connection, and distributed energy dispatching, collaborate with grid companies, power generation groups, and research institutions to jointly formulate data quality standards and labeling specifications in the power sector, establishing open data sets covering equipment operation, environmental perception, and user behavior across multiple modalities. On the other hand, promote the construction of a national-level power data resource platform to support the integrated governance and secure circulation of multi-source heterogeneous data, providing a compliant and reliable data foundation for AI model training and energy big data analysis.
Deepening the integration of artificial intelligence and the power IoT to promote intelligent application innovation.Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration jointly issued the “Implementation Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of ‘Artificial Intelligence+’ in Energy”, indicating that the future development of the power IoT should closely follow the guidance of the “Implementation Opinions”, with deep integration of artificial intelligence as the core driving force, focusing on building high-quality data and computing power infrastructure covering the cloud-edge-end of the power system, solidifying the digital foundation for integrated development. On this basis, comprehensively promote the innovative applications of AI in core scenarios such as intelligent dispatching of the grid, predictive maintenance of equipment, efficient absorption of renewable energy, and intelligent energy efficiency management on the user side, enabling the power system to possess more precise perception, advanced early warning, and autonomous optimization capabilities.
Expanding ecological applications to serve the energy revolution and the construction of a digital China.The power IoT ultimately aims to serve a broader energy transition and national strategy. By opening core capability interfaces, the perception and dispatching capabilities of the grid can be deeply integrated with renewable energy stations, energy storage operators, electric vehicle platforms, and other entities, forming an ecological chain of data intercommunication, resource allocation, and service value addition, promoting the power IoT towards openness and value realization, exploring reasonable utilization mechanisms for data elements, strengthening collaboration with renewable energy, energy storage, transportation, and other fields, and building a cross-industry ecological community to further unleash the value of energy services.
Summary
The next phase of the power IoT will be a model of deep integration of artificial intelligence, data elements, and energy technology. It will no longer just be a connectivity network but will evolve into a self-evolving, decision-making, and learning intelligent ecosystem. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology will continue to play a platform and bridging role in the field of information and communication, deeply participating in standard formulation, technical testing, and industrial ecological construction, working hand in hand with partners in the energy sector to jointly promote the power IoT towards a new stage of high-quality and intelligent development, injecting strong momentum into the energy revolution and the construction of a digital China.
Author Information
Wu Kangqiao, 13020600455
Xie Bin, 13120121874
Business Cooperation Consultation
If you are interested in the IoT-related business of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, please scan the QR code below to fill out the business consultation form. We will arrange for a dedicated person to contact you as soon as possible, looking forward to in-depth communication and business cooperation with all sectors.
