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Rural energy consumption significantly affects the economy of a country and plays a vital role in the rural residents’ lives. This paper analyzed the association of the rural household energy consumption with their demands on renewable energy systems and contributions to the reduction of CO 2 , TSP (total suspended particulate), and PM 2.5 emissions in Zhangziying town of Daxing district of Beijing. This system analysis aimed to evaluate the sustainability of energy supply and economic development in rural area of Beijing by taking Zhangziying town as an example. Specifically, in this paper energy consumed by the rural households was investigated in terms of energy sources (coal, biogas, straw gas, LPG, electricity and firewood), utilization, choices, costs and systems. The results show that coal is still the major energy source for heating during winter, which constitutes that largest portion of the household energy consumption. With the development of renewable energy, the utilization of coal, LPG and firewood for cooking has been replaced by renewable energy such as biogas and straw gas, which are coupled with a higher heating value and lower price. Meanwhile, this study also suggests that the renewable energy generated in the surveyed villages is equivalent to 32,863.68 kgce and could annually reduce 81,929.15 kgCO 2 emissions, 22,347.30 kg TSP, and 8938.92 kg PM 2.5 emissions. The structure of rural household energy consumption of Zhangziying town is sustainable and environmentally sound. The structure of rural household energy consumption is undergoing a transformation from traditional low-efficiency biomass domination to integrated consumption of traditional and renewable energy sources. Renewable energy is not only a solution to the energy shortage problem in rural areas, but also helps conserve fossil resources and protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of low-carbon cities has been suggested all over the World, since cities are key drivers of energy usage and the associated carbon emissions. This paper presents a scenario analysis of future energy consumption and carbon emissions for the city of Beijing. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model is used to simulate a range of pathways and to analyze how these would change energy consumption and carbon emissions from 2007 to 2030. Three scenarios have been designed to describe future energy strategies in relation to the development of Beijing city, namely a reference scenario (RS), control scenario (CS), and integrated scenario (IS). The results show that under the IS the total energy demand in Beijing is expected to reach 88.61 million tonnes coal equivalent (Mtce) by 2030 (59.32 Mtce in 2007), 55.82% and 32.72% lower than the values under the RS and the CS, respectively. The total carbon emissions in 2030 under the IS, although higher than the 2007 level, will be 62.22% and 40.27% lower than under the RS and the CS, respectively, with emissions peaking in 2026 and declining afterwards. In terms of the potential for reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions, the industrial sector will continue to act as the largest contributor under the IS and CS compared with the RS, while the building and transport sectors are identified as promising fields for achieving effective control of energy consumption and carbon emissions over the next two decades. The calculation results show that an integrated package of measures is the most effective in terms of energy savings and carbon emissions mitigation, although it also faces the largest challenge to achieve the related targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of urbanisation and associated vehicle numbers in China, urban transportation has become responsible for a large increase in the country's energy consumption and, consequently, its air pollution levels. Beijing has been making significant efforts to reduce transportation sector energy consumption and pollution. However, owing to the existence of a large number of private cars, the implementation of effective energy consumption and emission reduction measures has been difficult to achieve. This paper reviews the policies and regulations that have so far been developed to tackle Beijing's transportation sector issues. Perspective and analysis are given on the specific policies and regulations that have been employed, focusing on the overarching regulation mechanism, public transportation infrastructure, vehicle technology-related measures, vehicle activity-related measures and eco-driving -related measures, relevant experiences and lessons are summarised. A key finding concludes that the implementation of driving restriction policy can restrain pollutants emissions significantly, it shows energy consumption and emission reduction should not only be applied to public transportation, but the effective control of emissions from private cars should also attract more attention. To better control energy consumption of urban transport, various measures and solutions are proposed and discussed, including the further popularizing of eco-driving and the widespread application of e-mobility. Specific proposals for developing urban transportation policy are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]