Search

China has implemented a series of measures to address air pollutants and carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, which can mitigate toxic heavy metal emissions simultaneously. By integrating plant-level information and energy activity data, we investigated the co-benefits of clean air and low-carbon policies by compiling a detailed inventory of historical heavy mental emissions (i.e., Hg, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Sb, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, As, and Se) for China's coal-fired power plants during 2005–2020. Several scenarios were then designed to assess the evolution of heavy metal emissions for each coal-fired power plant with consideration given to the coal washing rate, air pollution control devices, operational hours and lifetime. The total emissions decreased from 12.9 thousand tons in 2005 to 8.8 thousand tons in 2020, which was mainly due to the widely installation of upgraded end-of-pipe devices and the decommissioning of small and emission-intensive plants, especially in Sichuan, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Scenario analysis shows that reducing the operational lifetime to 20 years is the most effective measure to reduce national HM emissions, but the effects differ widely between regions. This study provides insights for the precise co-control of both heavy metals and carbon emissions, which is highly important for meeting the requirements of the Minamata Convention and carbon neutrality. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mirror an important aspect of ultra-high voltage network development, the remarkable amount of energy cost and carbon emissions of a typical ultra-high voltage transformer substation in China is revealed, in light of the hybrid method as the integration of input-output analysis and process analysis. By inclusively inventorying all the input items as products of the economy, the study differs from previous studies that simply treat the input items as some primary materials. The results show that the total energy cost and carbon emissions of 1000 kV transformer substation are 6.82E+09 MJ and 7.12E+05 t CO 2 eq., respectively. Equipment purchasing contributes more than 80% to the overall energy cost and carbon emissions, followed by construction engineering, additional service and installation engineering. From the sectoral perspective, Manufacture of equipment for power transmission and distribution and control sector (Sector 78) dominates the energy cost and carbon emissions induced by 1000 kV transformer substation, followed by Construction industry (Sector 95). The comparison and analysis between current research and previous studies in different countries and different voltages is clearly discussed. This study not only enhances our understanding about the impact of ultra-high voltage network on energy and environment, but also provides insights for energy conservation and low carbon development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization drives the expansion of urban power girds, which involves enormous energy intensive products such as steel and concrete and inevitably results in a great quantity of carbon emissions. However, little has been done to investigate urban power girds' impact on carbon emissions. To solve this problem, this study makes efforts to calculate the carbon emissions of urban power grid in Jing-Jin-Ji region, one of the most populous and economically dynamic regions in China, in light of the hybrid method. Moreover, the depreciation life of urban power grids is taken into consideration for the first time, which avoids the underestimation of the accumulated carbon emissions of urban power grid due to depreciation. The results show that the accumulated carbon emissions of urban power grid in Jing-Jin-Ji region are 2.71E+06 t CO 2 eq. in 1993. When it comes to 2014, this figure increases by over 7.2 times. The majority of the carbon emissions by typical urban substations and transmission line projects are contributed by electrical equipment, steel and construction industries. 4 scenarios are set to predict the future carbon emissions by power grids in Jing-Jin-Ji region. The highest accumulated carbon emissions in 2020 are projected to be 7.63E+07 t CO 2 eq. under the condition shortest depreciation life (SDL) in the First Year Finished (FYF) scenario. Regression analysis is also carried out to show some influential factors such GDP's influence on power grids' carbon emissions, suggesting that the correlation between carbon emissions and regional economic development becomes more significant after Power System Reform Plan in 2002. This study not only draws a holistic picture of power grid but also bears significance to policies and actions in urban regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]