China's renewable energy installed capacity has reached the world's largest scale, and the country is now accelerating its transition from treating renewables as a supplementary source to making them the dominant energy supply — a shift that demands fundamental changes in how power grids operate, an expert said on Saturday.

Wang Weisheng, chief engineer at the China Electric Power Research Institute and director of the State Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy Grid Integration, made the remarks at an academic development lecture held on May 30 to celebrate the annual National Science and Technology Workers' Day.

Wang pointed out two major challenges brought by the high proportion of renewable energy connected to the grid: ensuring reliable power supply and maintaining stable grid operation. Unlike conventional thermal power, wind and solar generation are inherently variable and weather-dependent, creating uncertainty that traditional grid management systems were not designed to handle.

To address these challenges, Wang outlined two critical technical pathways — precise renewable energy power forecasting and optimized grid-connection control — which together form the backbone of China's strategy for integrating large-scale renewables into the national power system.

China has made major technical breakthroughs in recent years, Wang added. These include advances in renewable energy output forecasting that reduce uncertainty in generation planning, fault ride-through capabilities that allow wind and solar farms to remain connected during grid disturbances, wideband oscillation suppression technologies that prevent instability in power electronics-dominated grids, and active grid support functions that enable renewable energy plants to help stabilize voltage and frequency.

He emphasized that renewable energy grid integration and control are critical links in the energy transition. Precise forecasting is needed to reduce uncertainty, while optimized control technologies are essential to shift from passive adaptation to active grid support. This approach aims to achieve efficient consumption of renewable energy while ensuring grid security and stability.

A subsequent panel discussion focused on key industry concerns, bringing together Wang, Liu Yutian, a professor at Shandong University, Pei Zheyi, former deputy chief engineer of the dispatching control center at State Grid Corporation, and Xu Honghua, a researcher at the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

They stressed that energy transition must pursue systemwide optimization and prioritize demonstration projects before large-scale deployment. They also called for fully tapping the self-regulation potential of renewable energy sources while coordinating various flexible resources to ensure reliable and secure power supply.

The event, organized by the China Association for Science and Technology Communication Center and the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering, drew more than 160 graduate students, doctoral candidates, and young researchers from universities, research institutes and technology companies.