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China completed tests of Dongfang Electric’s 35 kV synchronous condenser that eliminates intermediate transformer, reduces 35% of investment and 50% of space to stabilize grids with wind and solar energy, according to China Energy News, accelerating the goal of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030.
China has taken a significant step in a technical area that rarely appears in public debate but determines whether wind and solar energy can grow without compromising the stability of electricity grids. Dongfang Electric Motor, a subsidiary of Dongfang Electric Group, has successfully completed type tests for a 35-kilovolt synchronous condenser capable of being connected directly to the electricity grid without the need for an intermediate step-up transformer, an innovation that, according to data published by China Energy News, reduces initial investment by 35%, requires 50% less physical space, and halves operation and maintenance costs compared to existing solutions. The importance of the equipment goes beyond the numbers: China needs infrastructure capable of absorbing the increasing amount of renewable energy the country installs each year to meet the goal of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060.
The synchronous condenser is not new technology, but the version China tested solves a technical problem that limited previous generations of the equipment. Until now, most units operated at voltages below 27 kV and required a step-up transformer to connect to certain points of the grid, an intermediate step that takes up space, increases costs, generates energy losses, and adds complexity to system operation and maintenance. Dongfang Electric’s innovation lies in surpassing the 27 kV limit to reach 35 kV, a leap that a division manager for the company’s motors described to Chinese media as “only an 8 kV difference, but with significantly greater technical difficulty,” because it requires advanced electrical insulation and heat dissipation solutions that China managed to develop and validate in the completed tests.
What is a synchronous condenser and why is China investing in this technology
Despite its name, which suggests an electronic component, a synchronous condenser is a large rotating machine connected to the electricity grid. Its function is not to generate electricity, but to provide or absorb reactive power and help maintain voltage stability, acting as a buffer that reacts quickly when voltage drops or rises too much due to variations in generation or consumption. Furthermore, as a rotating device, the synchronous condenser provides inertia to the grid, a physical property that strengthens the system during critical periods and which China progressively loses as it replaces thermal power plants (which have rotating turbines generating natural inertia) with solar panels and wind turbines (which do not provide inertia in the same way).
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The energy transition is often discussed as if merely installing solar panels and wind turbines were enough, but the electricity grid needs to be prepared to absorb this variable energy. Without stabilization equipment like the synchronous condenser, coal or gas-fired thermal power plants need to continue operating just to ensure stability, even when there is enough renewable energy to meet demand, a paradox that China faces on a larger scale than any other country because no nation installs as much wind and solar capacity per year as the Chinese. The 35 kV synchronous condenser tested by Dongfang Electric addresses precisely this problem: it provides inertia, reactive power support, and short-circuit contribution without generating energy from fossil fuels.
What numbers does the Chinese equipment present in relation to existing solutions
The data published by China Energy News on Dongfang Electric’s 35 kV synchronous condenser is attracting the most attention from engineers and analysts in the electricity sector. By eliminating the intermediate step-up transformer, a single unit of the new equipment provides the same short-circuit capacity as two distributed condensers of equivalent power, and the dynamic load capacity improves by more than 200%, according to figures released by the company and reported by the Chinese publication. In terms of investment, the reduction is approximately 35% in initial cost, requiring 50% less physical space for installation, numbers that in large-scale projects represent significant savings in capital and land.
The equipment’s own energy consumption, a point that the European entity ENTSO-E highlights as a limitation of synchronous condensers, also shows improvement in the Chinese version. The system consumes only 45% of the energy that the previous solution required to provide the same level of grid support, and operation and maintenance costs fall by 50%, a reduction that accumulates over the equipment’s lifespan and makes the technology more competitive against alternatives such as advanced power electronics or grid-controlled batteries. China positions the 35 kV synchronous condenser as a solution that balances technical performance, cost, and operational simplicity at a time when the country needs to stabilize grids receiving increasing volumes of intermittent energy.
Why other countries are also adopting synchronous condensers
China is not alone in betting on synchronous condensers to enable the energy transition. In Ireland, operator EirGrid contracts synchronous condensers as “low-carbon inertia services” to operate with a higher proportion of renewable energy on the grid and reduce the minimum number of fossil fuel generators that need to be running to ensure stability, a practical demonstration that the technology is not a theoretical gamble but an operational solution already working in real grids. The Irish experience is particularly relevant because Ireland has one of the highest proportions of wind energy in its electricity mix among European countries and faces stability challenges that precede on a larger scale what China will encounter as its renewable capacity continues to grow.
In continental Europe, the CINEA agency mentions the installation of synchronous condensers as part of the electrical synchronization of the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) with the European continental grid. Ensuring frequency stability and adding inertia to grids that previously depended on connection to the Russian system are objectives that synchronous condensers meet without the need to keep fossil generators in operation, an application that illustrates how the technology serves both to integrate renewables and to strengthen the energy independence of countries seeking to disengage from specific geopolitical suppliers. For the average consumer, the connection is direct: a more stable grid provides a more solid foundation for the electrification of transport, domestic heating, and the management of consumption peaks that occur during heatwaves or intense cold.
What’s missing for the Chinese synchronous condenser to enter commercial operation
The type test completed by Dongfang Electric means that the technology has overcome a technical barrier, not that hundreds of units will be installed immediately. Between test approval and commercial operation, there is a path that includes pilot projects under real grid conditions, procurement processes with electricity operators, manufacturing and commissioning schedules, steps that China typically navigates faster than other countries because its centralized energy planning system allows for large-scale investment decisions that market democracies take longer to coordinate. The practical question will be to observe how the 35 kV synchronous condenser performs in specific scenarios: stabilizing a grid near large consumption centers is different from stabilizing a grid with long transmission lines and dispersed renewable parks, where voltage fluctuates more.
The debate over which technology will prevail in stabilizing grids with high renewable penetration remains open. Synchronous condensers compete with advanced power electronics (such as STATCOM) and with storage batteries that can also provide ancillary services to the grid, and each electrical system will choose a different combination according to its geographical, regulatory, and economic characteristics. The return of synchronous condensers to the spotlight, driven by China with Dongfang Electric’s 35 kV equipment, is a sign that grid stability has become one of the most important and least discussed components of global decarbonization, a problem that doesn’t appear in headlines about solar panels and wind turbines but will determine whether these sources can scale without compromising the reliability of energy supply that the modern world demands.
And you, do you think grid stability is the biggest challenge in the transition to renewable energy? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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