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In 2015, the Chinese government set ultra-low emission standards for thermal power to alleviate the pressure of increasing total pollutants from energy demand. This paper analyzes the policy effect of ultra-low emission in different regions based on panel data of 1202 thermal power enterprises, and the results of hierarchical linear model show that the total amount of air pollutants emitted by thermal power enterprises showed a decreasing trend during 2017–2021, realizing the dual control of concentration and total amount. Due to the differences in primary energy structure, industrial structure and economic development level of different regions, the total emission reduction of thermal power pollutants is affected differently. First, the proportion of the region's secondary industry in the region's GDP is negatively correlated with the decrease of the total pollutant emission of local thermal power enterprises. Second, the higher the per capita GDP of the region, the more significant the decrease in the total amount of pollutants, economic development is conducive to pollutant emission reduction. Third, the higher the proportion of thermal power in local energy, the more obvious the reduction of total pollutant emissions of thermal power enterprises, indicating that the implementation of ultra-low emission policies in these regions is more thorough. In addition, the environmental protection tax plays a positive role in the total emission reduction, and the higher the sulfur dioxide tax rate, the more significant the reduction of total pollutants of thermal power enterprises. To further reduce the total amount of pollutants in thermal power, more coordinated efforts of environmental and economic policies are needed. [Display omitted] • The ultra-low emission policy can achieve dual control of pollutants. • The total pollutant emission reduction has obvious regional differences. • Environmental protection tax can reduce the total amount of pollutants. • The coordinated emission reduction of different pollutants is not obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's climate and environmental problems remained prominent. Energy transition was the key to improve climate and pollution, and it was at a critical period. Previous studies mostly focused on the impact of climate policies on the reduction of air pollutants and the environmental health impacts of individual sector or pathway policies. Thus, focusing on the synergistic abatement of CO 2 and air pollutants and health effects of energy transition in carbon neutrality was significant for building beautiful and healthy China. LEAP-HEA model was constructed to project energy demand, CO 2 and air pollutants, and assess energy transition's environmental health effects from 2020 to 2060. LMDI model was adopted to decompose the abatement contribution. Synergistic assessment index was used to estimate the coordinated abatement effects. Cost-effectiveness of energy transition and regional heterogeneity of PM 2.5 toxicity were not considered. The results indicated: (1) energy demand would decrease and structure would be optimized significantly under deep energy transition scenario. (2) Deep energy transition could promote earlier realization of carbon neutrality. It would contribute significantly to CO 2 and air pollutants abatement with strong synergistic effects. (3) Energy transition would reduce health risks with large economic benefits. Recommendations were proposed based on the conclusions. The framework of LEAP-HEA model. [Display omitted] • The synergistic abatement and health effect of energy transition were explored. • The models of LEAP, LMDI, exposure-response and the data of 2020 were used. • Energy transition would have significant synergistic abatement and health effect. • The paper has significance for promoting carbon neutrality and healthy China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power sector significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, making its transition to low-carbon energy crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. Zhengzhou, recognized as one of the China's "National Central Cities", has a high energy demand. Its power sector, which is primarily reliant on coal, is responsible for half of the city's CO 2 emissions. The low emissions analysis platform (LEAP) model serves as an effective tool for exploring the power sector's transition to low-carbon sources. However, studies on the combined reduction in air pollutants and CO 2 at the city level are scarce. This study focuses on Zhengzhou's power sector, examining the power composition, coal usage, CO 2 and air pollutant emissions, social costs, and employment effects across five scenarios using LEAP. The five scenarios are the business-as-usual scenario, the reference scenario, the carbon neutrality scenario, and two optimization scenarios with different carbon peak and carbon neutrality time. CO 2 emissions will peak in 2030 at 34.6 Mt in the reference scenario, and in 2022 at 32.4 Mt in the carbon neutrality scenario. Emissions in the reference and carbon neutrality scenarios will decrease by 64.8% and 75.2%, respectively, from those in the business-as-usual scenario due to emission reduction strategies. In the carbon neutrality scenario, coal power reformation is the most significant measure, accounting for 45.7% of the total CO 2 reduction compared to that in the business-as-usual scenario, followed by the integration of external electricity (17.8%) and solar energy (13.6%). This scenario also demonstrated a strong synergistic effect on reducing air pollutants and CO 2 emissions. Although the carbon neutrality scenario incurs costs 60.4 billion yuan higher than those of the reference scenario, its CO 2 mitigation cost is 66.1 yuan/t lower. This indicated that more rapid CO 2 reduction, despite higher economic inputs, is justified by ambitious CO 2 reduction goals and environmental benefits. Enhancing the use of renewable energy technologies for research and development to lower costs could increase the economic feasibility of the carbon neutrality scenario. In the two optimization scenarios, complete elimination of CO 2 and air pollutant emissions is achieved by 2060, with all the electricity generated from renewable sources, although issues of uncertainty and stability need to be addressed. The study also highlights that renewable energy development will significantly boost employment, with an estimated 1.19 million jobs in 2060 in the carbon neutrality scenario. Finally, the paper concludes with a sensitivity analysis and offers policy recommendations for the power sector's low-carbon transition. [Display omitted] • Low-carbon transition paths of Zhengzhou power sector are investigated by scenario analysis. • Coal power reformation and external electricity are effective measures for CO 2 reduction. • Synergistic reduction of air pollutants and CO 2 is achieved in the CAN scenario. • The CAN scenario has a good cost-effectiveness of CO 2 mitigation. • Policy recommendations for Zhengzhou power sector are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are pivotal in the progression toward sustainable transportation. However, a growing body of recent studies has challenged the often-assumed notion that electric vehicles are often considered to be net-zero emissions. These studies suggest that electric vehicles could potentially generate substantial emissions due to their reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity, especially when receiving fast charging services. This phenomenon has been mitigated with the use of renewable energy sources in the power system. However, due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, additional requirements have arisen. To address this situation, this paper presents an interdisciplinary study of collaborative fast-charging stations (FCS) and distributed renewable energy planning based on the interactions between traffic and power networks in order to increase the adoption rate of electric vehicles and reduce emissions caused by traffic and power systems. The locations and sizing of fast-charging stations, distributed photovoltaic generation, and renewable energy power supply for electric vehicles are determined in the proposed strategy through multi-objective integer programming. The proposed planning strategy considers heterogeneous electric vehicle driving range constraints, the operation security of the power distribution system, the reliability and expansion of the current power distribution, as well as different types of air pollutant classifications resulting from the charging behaviors. To guarantee the feasibility and accuracy of the planning results, an interactive algorithm is applied to solve the multi-objective integer model. Several cases are conducted to validate the proposed approach. The results demonstrate that the proposed planning strategy has good performance in the planning of fast-charging stations and distributed renewable energy integration. • A joint planning approach is proposed. • Optimize the locations and sizing of the fast-charging stations and distributed renewable energy. • Quantify different types of air pollutant emissions during charging services to promote the adoption of EVs and renewable energy. • An integer multi-objective model with an interactive algorithm is proposed. • The results demonstrate that the proposed method confers significant advantages to the application of EVs and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]