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This paper investigates the impact of the inter-regional transmission grid capacity expansion on China’s power sector decarbonization from the energy portfolio, economic efficiency and environmental perspectives. The impact is quantified based on a cluster integer unit commitment model which renders it suitable for modeling large-scale power systems with a high computational performance. The results show that, first, the inter-regional transmission grid capacity expansion has obvious economic benefit in reducing the total variable generation costs, mainly due to the increased ability of transmitting coal power with low marginal generation costs and the reduction in non-served load. Second, the expansion has a very limited impact on reducing the curtailment of renewable generation by 2030, although the extent to which the expansion can mitigate the curtailment of renewable generation increases with the share of renewable power in the generation portfolio. Third, the expansion increases CO 2 emissions of the power supply in 2030 by around 2%, mainly because it facilitates more use of cheap yet low-efficiency coal generation in regions with low fuel prices. To better deliver the value of the inter-regional grid expansion for China’s power decarbonization, this paper proposes that: (1) the planning of the inter-regional and intra-regional grid development should be coordinated with the renewable power development; and (2) effective dispatch mechanisms which account for CO 2 emissions or generation efficiency across regions should be established. Additionally, the government plan of the inter-regional transmission capacity in 2030 is basically sufficient in enabling bulk power delivery and promoting renewable generation across regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) program registers and trades CCER credits compatible with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) endorsed by many other countries. This example of an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has become a driving force for the regional expansion of the biogas economy in Hubei, China. Hubei is a notable case that demonstrates how China has begun to decentralize its policy approach to rural green-energy production. Hubei's rural energy agencies have taken a "learning-by-doing" approach to implementing projects under programs including CCER, which have provided both financial and technical support for implementing biogas solutions. This paper illustrates the potential of CDM tools to support the expansion of subnational biogas economies and highlights a pathway for international engagement in local projects that can provide funding, as well as the technological and human resources required for success. Highlights •.• It presents a case study with comprehensive analyses of Hubei's biogas expansion lessons. •.• It describes the significance of both CDM and CCER development in supporting biogas. •.• We address key barriers, including funding and technology risk, to biogas uptake. •.• We suggest that integrating local needs within global ETS initiatives can advance biogas [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Theses on China's low-carbon economy focus on the driving forces of carbon emissions, energy–carbon efficiency, and the carbon–economy nexus. Meanwhile, comprehensive frameworks that assess China's green economy and also analyze its driving forces are lacking. This paper constructs a green productivity index based on the Global Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index to evaluate the development of the low-carbon economy in China. A panel vector auto-regression model is adopted to further analyze the endogenous interactions and dynamic relationships among aspects of the green economy and its influencing factors. Empirical results show that China has seen a balanced development of green economic growth in 2000–2016, achieved in a series of clear stages. To maintain the sustainable growth of the low-carbon economy in the future, China must rely more on technological progress. This research also makes some important discoveries that have not been found in previous studies: the impact of China's industrial structure and energy consumption structure on the green economy are short term, having a duration of impact of approximately four years. Finally, we provide an assessment of provincial green economy development and describe the corresponding policy implications. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • A comprehensive analysis of China's green economy. • A slack-based Global Malmquist–Luenberger index is adopted to calculate the Green Productivity Index in China. • The stage characteristics of green economic development are identified. • A panel vector autoregressive model is used to analyze the interactions among aspects of the environmental economic system. • The findings that the impact duration of energy structure, industry structure, and urbanization on the green economy is about four years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Renewable energy is one of the possible solutions when addressing climate change. Today, large-scale renewable energy integration needs to include the experience to balance the discrepancy between electricity demand and supply. The electrification of transportation may have the potential to deal with this imbalance and to reduce its high dependence on oil production. For this reason, it is interesting to analyse the extent to which transport electrification can further the renewable energy integration. This paper quantifies this issue in Inner Mongolia, where the share of wind power in the electricity supply was 6.5% in 2009 and which has the plan to develop large-scale wind power. The results show that electric vehicles (EVs) have the ability to balance the electricity demand and supply and to further the wind power integration. In the best case, the energy system with EV can increase wind power integration by 8%. The application of EVs benefits from saving both energy system cost and fuel cost. However, the negative consequences of decreasing energy system efficiency and increasing the CO2 emission should be noted when applying the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV). The results also indicate that developing renewable energy is crucial for transportation electrification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China has set ambitious goals to increase the use of renewable energy. Developing renewables in rural areas is also one of the most important energy strategies. This paper examines rural social acceptance of renewable energy deployment taking Shandong as a case study via a field questionnaire survey. Theory of planned behavior is adopted to establish an analytical framework, and a logit model is used to examine possible determinants of local social acceptance. The results show that rural residents are generally supportive renewable energy development given its positive impacts on environment. A stated willingness to pay more for renewable electricity is taken as a variable representing an individual’s behavioral intention. The probability of occurrence of positive intention is found to increase with household income, individual knowledge level and belief about costs of renewable energy use but decrease with individual age. Residents with higher level of income are more likely to be willing to pay more for green electricity, so are the younger people. Enhancive knowledge and understanding about renewable energy (for instance, the cost) would be conducive to win public acceptance of renewable energy deployment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Historically, great powers have gone to great lengths to guarantee the energy necessary to compete in the international system. Today, as fossil fuel sources diminish and energy demands increase, the most powerful States, specifically China and the United States, are competing for energy resources, including renewable energy sources, while continuing to protect and procure remaining nonrenewable sources around the world. As such, this article's goals are: 1) to offer a brief overview of energy security; 2) to present a brief overview of the energy scenarios of China and the United States; 3) to show that China is investing more in renewable energy than the United States due, in part, to the domestic endowment of shale gas of the latter, and the imperative need to diversify the energy sources of the former. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]