On November 12–13, the 2025 (8th) Power Demand Side Management Innovation Conference and Virtual Power Plant Construction Practice Exchange was successfully held in Suzhou. With the theme “Focusing on Innovative Practices in Demand Side Management to Support the Collaborative and Interactive Development of Power Supply and Demand,” the conference brought together insights, built industry consensus, fully tapped adjustable resources on the power demand side, guided and promoted the development of new types of virtual power plant (VPP) market players, and advanced supply-demand coordination and interaction through seminars and exchanges, result releases, exhibitions, and other forms, contributing to accelerating the construction of a new power system.

Yu Chongde, Full-Time Vice Chairman of the China Electricity Council (CEC); Zhu Zhang, Second-Class Inspector of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); and Zhu Yufeng, Vice Chairman and President of GCL Group Co., Ltd., attended the conference and delivered speeches.

Yu Chongde pointed out that as the construction of the new power system advances in depth, power demand side management plays an indispensable role. In particular, the deep integration of digital technologies and power technologies has driven innovations in the service philosophy and business models of demand side management, spawned new forms and models such as load aggregators and virtual power plants, and boosted the development of mechanisms linking demand-side resources with power system operation and regulation. He emphasized that at present, power demand side management must adapt to the new situation and new requirements of energy and power development, and focus on the following tasks: first, based on the construction of a unified national power market, consolidate the status of virtual power plants as “new types of market entities”; second, promote the deep integration of digital technologies and power technologies to build a “neural central intelligent platform” for virtual power plants; third, promote business model innovation and the construction of green value transmission mechanisms to foster a “sustainable ecosystem” for virtual power plants; and fourth, promote practical experience in virtual power plants and continuously improve the development and utilization level of demand-side resources.

In his speech, Zhu Zhang said that in recent years, MIIT has closely focused on the national “Dual Carbon” strategic goals, taking power demand side management as a key starting point for promoting the green and low-carbon transformation of industry, ensuring the stable operation of industrial and supply chains, and improving energy efficiency. MIIT has actively carried out practices and achieved fruitful results in policy systems, industrial energy conservation and energy efficiency improvement, and the modernization of demand response and load management. He emphasized that promoting innovation in power demand side management in the industrial sector is of great significance for ensuring energy and power security and promoting the green and low-carbon development of industry. It is necessary to deepen energy-saving transformation and improve energy efficiency; accelerate digital transformation and build a smart energy use system; innovate participation mechanisms and activate demand response resources; and strengthen responsibility and uphold the bottom line of safe operation. He hoped that the industry will work together, make bold innovations, and carry out solid work to make new and greater contributions to building a new power system and promoting the high-quality development of industry.

In his speech, Zhu Yufeng introduced GCL’s exploration, practice, and achievements in the virtual power plant field over the years, pointing out that technological forces represented by AI large models and the digital wave are rapidly penetrating the virtual power plant field, driving intelligent changes in the energy structure, power grid form, and the way energy is produced, supplied, and consumed. He called for multi-party coordination, focusing on innovative practices in demand side management to support the collaborative and interactive development of power supply and demand, and contributing to building a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new energy system.

At the conference, the CEC Industrial Power Demand Side Management Office, together with grid enterprises, officially released the “First Batch of Research Results on the Development of Adjustable Load Resources in the Industrial Sector,” and held parallel thematic sessions on “Innovative Development of Virtual Power Plants” and “Development and Application of Demand-Side Resources.” After the conference, participants conducted on-site visits to the State Grid Suzhou Industrial Park Power Supply Company and the GCL Energy Center.

The conference was jointly hosted by CEC Science and Technology Service Center Co., Ltd., the CEC Industrial Power Demand Side Management Office, the China Electric Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., and the State Grid Corporation of China Customer Service Center, and co-organized by GCL Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Nearly 300 experts and representatives from government departments, power enterprises, industrial enterprises and parks, research institutions and universities, industry associations, and power demand side management service organizations attended the conference.