Dataset Information

Accelerating the energy transition towards photovoltaic and wind in China.

ABSTRACT: China's goal to achieve carbon (C) neutrality by 2060 requires scaling up photovoltaic (PV) and wind power from 1 to 10-15 PWh year^-1 (refs. ^1-5). Following the historical rates of renewable installation¹, a recent high-resolution energy-system model⁶ and forecasts based on China's 14th Five-year Energy Development (CFED)⁷, however, only indicate that the capacity will reach 5-9.5 PWh year^-1 by 2060. Here we show that, by individually optimizing the deployment of 3,844 new utility-scale PV and wind power plants coordinated with ultra-high-voltage (UHV) transmission and energy storage and accounting for power-load flexibility and learning dynamics, the capacity of PV and wind power can be increased from 9 PWh year^-1 (corresponding to the CFED path) to 15 PWh year^-1, accompanied by a reduction in the average abatement cost from US$97 to US$6 per tonne of carbon dioxide (tCO₂). To achieve this, annualized investment in PV and wind power should ramp up from US$77 billion in 2020 (current level) to US$127 billion in the 2020s and further to US$426 billion year^-1 in the 2050s. The large-scale deployment of PV and wind power increases income for residents in the poorest regions as co-benefits. Our results highlight the importance of upgrading power systems by building energy storage, expanding transmission capacity and adjusting power load at the demand side to reduce the economic cost of deploying PV and wind power to achieve carbon neutrality in China.

SUBMITTER: Wang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10371865 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Accelerating the energy transition towards photovoltaic and wind in China.

Wang Yijing Y Wang Rong R Tanaka Katsumasa K Ciais Philippe P Penuelas Josep J Balkanski Yves Y Sardans Jordi J Hauglustaine Didier D Liu Wang W Xing Xiaofan X Li Jiarong J Xu Siqing S Xiong Yuankang Y Yang Ruipu R Cao Junji J Chen Jianmin J Wang Lin L Tang Xu X Zhang Renhe R

Nature 20230726 7971

China's goal to achieve carbon (C) neutrality by 2060 requires scaling up photovoltaic (PV) and wind power from 1 to 10-15 PWh year-1 (refs. 1-5). Following the historical rates of renewable installation1, a recent high-resolution energy-system model6 and forecasts based on China's 14th Five-year Energy Development (CFED)7, however, only indicate that the capacity will reach 5-9.5 PWh year-1 by 2060. Here we show that, by individu ...[more]

PMID: 37495878

Similar Datasets

Project description:Abstract Enabling the rational use of energy and the realization of the “dual carbon goals” across China will require systematic analysis of temporal and spatial changes in surface wind speed (SWS), determination of key factors influencing SWS, and quantification of wind energy resources. We investigated changes of SWS and their potential impact on wind energy resources using daily SWS data from meteorological observations and based on wind power density (WPD) across China during 1961–2021. The SWS changes were related to atmospheric circulation, surface friction (urbanization and vegetation changes), aerosol emissions and the replacement of observation instruments. The increase of SWS after 2015 was closely related to changes of atmospheric circulation that were reflected by changes of Asian Meridional Circulation Index, North Atlantic Oscillation, and Arctic Oscillation. Compared with the mean SWS, the extreme SWS exhibited a more obvious downward trend and earlier abrupt change. The annual mean SWS decreased by 16.80% in the last six decades, resulting in a decrease of 47.78% in wind energy potential. Regions with annual WPD more than 100 W · m−2 were mainly in western China, northeastern China, northwestern China and some coastal areas. The WPD decreased mainly in northeastern China, northern China, and some coastal areas during the last six decades; it increased mainly in western China. Regions with annual WPD more than 100 W · m−2 and robust coefficient of variation less than 0.5 are high‐quality wind energy resource areas and were found mainly in western China, northern China, northeast China, and coastal areas. Key Points The surface wind speed (SWS) showed a decreasing trend across China during 1961–2021 and abrupt change was detected in 2015 Compared with the mean SWS, the extreme SWS exhibited a more obvious downward trend and earlier abrupt change High‐quality wind‐energy areas were mainly in western China, north China and northeast China

Project description:The conversion of kinetic energy from wind and solar radiation into electricity during the operation of wind and photovoltaic power plants causes practically no emissions of chemical compounds that are harmful to the environment. However, the production of their materials and components, as well as their post-use management after the end of their operation, is highly consumptive of energy and materials. For this reason, this article aims to assess the life cycle of a wind and photovoltaic power plant in the context of the sustainable development of energy systems. The objects of the research were two actual technical facilities-a 2 MW wind power plant and a 2 MW photovoltaic power plant, both located in Poland. The analysis of their life cycle was carried out on the basis of the LCA (life-cycle assessment) method, using the ReCiPe 2016 calculation procedure. The impact of the examined renewable energy systems was assessed under 22 impact categories and 3 areas of influence (i.e., human health, ecosystems, and resources), and an analysis was conducted for the results obtained as part of three compartments (i.e., air, water, and soil). The life cycle of the wind power plant was distinguished by a higher total potential negative environmental impact compared to the life cycle of the photovoltaic power plant. The highest levels of potential harmful impacts on the environment in both life cycles were recorded for areas of influence associated with negative impacts on human health. Emissions to the atmosphere accounted for over 90% of all emissions in the lifetimes of both the wind and the photovoltaic power plants. On the basis of the obtained results, guidelines were proposed for pro-ecological changes in the life cycle of materials and elements of the considered technical facilities for renewable energy sources, aimed at better implementation of the main assumptions of contemporary sustainable development (especially in the field of environmental protection).

Dataset Information

Accelerating the energy transition towards photovoltaic and wind in China.

Publications

Accelerating the energy transition towards photovoltaic and wind in China.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets