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Building heating energy consumption accounts for about 19.12% of total energy consumption in China in 2014. With the development of building energy-saving technology, renewable energy heating systems, such as GSHP (ground source heat pump), solar energy, air source heat pump, show high energy efficiency and low emissions, which are gradually replacing traditional heating systems. However, due to the restriction of existing productivity and environment conditions, the capital investment of such renewable heating systems is often much higher than traditional ones. As a result, the advantage of renewable heating system is hard to be realized, since its application is highly limited by economic factors. In this paper, traditional thermal-economical evaluation method is modified and improved for feasibility analysis of renewable heating system. Moreover, an illustrative example, which combines solar heating and air-source heat pump together, in Sichuan is given to show the preliminary application of the proposed method. The results indicate that the modified thermal-economical evaluation method can assess the feasibility of renewable heating systems more comprehensively, since it takes the indirect economic effects caused by energy saving and environment protection into consideration, which can balance the huge capital investment of such systems. For the studied case, solar collector combined with air-source heat pump is more preferable than traditional systems. This work is important for feasibility analysis and design optimization of building heating system with renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power demand in China has increased rapidly in the past decade, and it is projected to grow even further. To gain insights into how this demand growth could optimally be met, addressing regional differences such as resource distribution and power demand, is crucial. For long-term planning purposes, using a multi-regional mathematical model that divides China's power sector into regions overcomes the limitations of viewing as a single network. Reflecting how inter-regional power transmission could best be utilized is critical in understanding how flows between regions could be optimised. In this paper, a multi-regional model that reflects actual grid infrastructure with an objective function to maximize accumulated total profits gained by the power generation sector from 2013 to 2050 is proposed. A case study is provided to illustrate how inter-regional power transmission could influence the regional deployment of technologies under different policy scenarios. The results show that energy subsidies and national targets will remain important to the deployment of renewable energy in both the short and long term. In addition, potential downside implications of lower demand growth on the long-term prospects of long-distance inter-regional power transmission and options, such as more flexible electricity pricing mechanisms, to limit the effects are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the recent decades, China’s building energy consumption has been growing rapidly. Also the fuel mix has been changing quickly with more natural gas & electricity and less coal being used. Meanwhile, the technologies used in building sector are improving in efficiency. In this paper, the impact of technical progress and the use of renewable energy in building sector are analyzed. The energy saving and emission reduction potential of building sector are also measured. China TIMES model is used to model the future energy consumption and carbon emissions in building sector. The modelling results indicate that building energy consumption is expected to grow to around 41.6EJ in the reference scenario in 2050. The energy saving potential in 2050 can be up to 4EJ due to the improvement of both building insulation (envelop) and energy use technologies. Renewable energy used in buildings can be a great contributor to the carbon mitigation in buildings. China’s building sector can reach a relatively low-carbon future with more low- and non-carbon fuels consumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The intermittent characteristic of a solar-alone or a wind-alone power generation system prevents the standalone renewable energy system from being fully reliable without suitable energy storage capability. In this study, the most traditional and mature storage technology, pumped hydro storage (PHS), is introduced to support the standalone microgrid hybrid solar-wind system. This paper explores a new solution for the challenging task about energy storage. A mathematical model of the hybrid system is developed and the operating principle is introduced. The proposed system is applied in a case study to power a remote island in Hong Kong, and its technical feasibility is then examined. The hour-by-hour simulation results indicate that the intermittent nature of the renewables can be compensated by introducing the PHS technology. Therefore, a reliable and environmentally friendly power supply can be provided. The results demonstrate that technically the PHS based renewable energy system is an ideal solution to achieve 100% energy autonomy in remote communities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In response to climate change, China''s power industry is undertaking the task of reducing carbon emissions. Renewable energy generation has become an important option. For the government and state grid companies, it is important to know the maximum possible capacities of renewable energy generation from its different sources in order to plan the construction of the power grid in the future. In this paper, several important factors affecting the development of renewable energy generation are identified through a review of the existing literature (such as cost, technical maturity and so on) and analyzed. Combined with the learning curve model, the technology diffusion model and expectations about future economic development in China, a new model, the Renewable Energy Optimization Model (REOM), is developed to analyze the development of three renewable energy sources (wind power, solar power and biomass power) from 2009 to 2020. Results show that (1) the maximum installed capacities of wind power, solar power and biomass power will reach 233321, 26680 and 35506MW in 2020; (2) from 2009 to 2020, biomass power will develop rapidly at the early stage while wind power is developed massively at the final stage and solar power has relatively stable growth; (3) due to the added capacity in the early periods, the unit investment cost of solar power shows a large decline, which is good for its following scale development; (4) the investment ratio constraint has a large effect on the development of wind power while the constraint of on-grid proportion of renewable energy generation has a significant effect on the development of wind power and solar power. The results have important policy implications for long-term energy planning in developing countries, such as China and India. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of groundwater for cooling and heating purposes is of interest from both the economical and the ecological perspective. The groundwater heat pump (GWHP) system utilizes groundwater as alternative renewable and clean energy source for space heating and/or cooling, withdraws water from a production well, passes it through a heat exchanger and discharges the water into an injection well. By utilizing the relatively stable temperature of groundwater, GWHP system can achieve a higher coefficient of performance. Due to the utilization of groundwater stored in the aquifer, the assessment of the hydraulic capacity of the aquifer based on numerical groundwater models is always needed for the optimum design and the efficient performance of GWHP. In this paper, numerical methods of underground heat-water transfer, energy balance method and thermal storage method were presented to calculate the capacity of unit area of shallow groundwater aquifer. The model results indicate that the numerical method, which is based on performance efficiency of GWHP, represents the behaviour of groundwater pumping/recharging processes, and serves better than energy balance method and thermal storage method, in addition it has been proven itself that this method has the advantages of energy saving and environmental protection. The calculated capacity is positively related to aquifer thickness. It is found that it is easy for ground water recharge in alluvial and pluvial fan located at the piedmont, while the calculated capacity is relatively smaller compared with that of south-east plain where it is not easy for groundwater recharge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A reliable supply of energy is essential to maintain and to improve human being''s living conditions. Compared to the conventional coal-fired approach, renewable energy (RE) helps to mitigate the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions to a large extent. As a newly developed sector with large resource potential and good commercial prospects, China''s wind power industry is exceeding expectations. By 2008, installed capacity of wind power in China totaled over 12GW, making China the fourth largest wind market in the world. However, China has to admit the gap with foreign leading countries, mainly in technical R&D for large-scale wind turbine generation units. This paper attempts to formulate an analytical model for studying and assessing factors that have significant impacts on the local industry. An improved dynamic Diamond Model is developed to help the international community to understand the status quo of the Chinese wind power industry. In order to build a stronger wind power industry, the elements identified in the model need to be strengthened. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Wind power in China registered a record level of expansion recently, and has doubled its total capacity every year since 2004. Many experts believe that China will be central to the future of the global wind energy market. Consequently, the growth pattern of wind power in China may be crucial to the further development of the global wind market. This paper firstly presented an overview of wind energy potential in China and reviewed the national wind power development course in detail. Based on the installed wind capacity in China over the past 18 years and the technical potential of wind energy resources, the growth pattern was modeled in this study for the purpose of prospect analysis, in order to obtain projections concerning the development potential. The future perspectives of wind energy development in China are predicted and analyzed. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of wind power in China and some insights into the prospects of China''s wind power market, which is emerging as a new superpower in the global wind industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]