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Urban areas are the key drivers of energy usage and the associated carbon emissions. Due to the rapid economic development and urbanization process, China has faced increasing pressure on energy supply and carbon emission issues. It is urgent for China to change from the current coal-based high carbon intensity power supply structure. In this context, China has planned to utilize an undeveloped area in Shenzhen to become a low-carbon development demonstration project. The purpose of this paper is to propose the best combination of technology for electricity generation, involving a mix of renewable energy resources, to satisfy electrical needs and, at the same time, minimize carbon emissions from power generation in the low carbon demonstration area. The optimal renewable energy system configuration was determined based on the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewable model. The simulation results show that costs of energy for the three scenarios considered are $0.187/kW h, $0.128/kW h, and $0.150/kW h, respectively; annual carbon emissions for the three scenarios are 96 702 tons, 89 836 tons, and 78 065 tons, respectively. Given the economic advantage, scenario 2 is a suitable choice for the first phase of the international low carbon city (ILCC). With reinforced carbon emissions controls and a rising carbon allowance price, scenario 3 can be adopted in the second and third phase of the ILCC construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GIS & numerical modeling analyse 4 representative areas. • Impact of urban morphology on solar potential examined. • Electricity demands assessed against payback periods. • Facades optimize PV generation with local demand. • Effective planning crucial to harness solar potential. This study examines Shenzhen's potential for utilizing photovoltaics (PV) on buildings in terms of residential electricity consumption. Based on its geographic information system (GIS) data, typical local meteorological data, and electricity demand, the solar potential of Shenzhen has been thoroughly studied, critically analyzed, and compared with different urban morphology characteristics. Urban morphology influences the solar radiation received by individual buildings. First, four representative residential areas have been chosen. Using the 3D architectural modeling software Rhinoceros with its Grasshopper and Ladybug plug-ins, the solar potential of the areas was then evaluated. Following this, an economic analysis was carried out. Due to the high solar radiation of the rooftop areas, the results demonstrated that a combination of rooftops and high-performance facades (over 700 kWh/m2/year) produces a promising payback period. Therefore, this paper calls for action to start a large-scale program to promote and then mandate the use of renewable energy resources (RES), specifically solar, for the residential sector in the cities located in the southern region of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Energy technology patents are used to characterize energy technology innovation. • LCCP policy can make energy technology innovation generate clean direction. • LCCP policy has produced crowding out effect on other technological innovation. • The quality of energy technology innovation has not been improved. Energy technology composed of renewable and fossil energy is not entirely beneficial to the environment. Consequently, we believe that the direction of energy technology innovation should be clean to achieve sustainable development. This paper takes the low-carbon city pilot as a quasi-natural experiment, employs the difference-in-difference method and the energy technology patent data with A-share listed enterprises in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2007 to 2019 to explore the incentive effect, mechanism, and heterogeneity of low-carbon city pilot on the direction of energy technology innovation. We found that (1) the low-carbon city pilot has an incentive effect on the direction of energy technology innovation by promoting renewable energy technology, which indicates that the clean direction of energy technology innovation is taking shape. (2) The incentive effect of low-carbon city pilot on energy technology innovation is not the leverage effect superimposed on the established innovation activities of enterprises, but the crowding out effect on other technological innovation. This means that the pilot policy is suspected of negatively the productivity of enterprises. (3) The quality of energy technology innovation has not been stimulated, renewable energy technologies that are easy to generate high economic benefits are favored by enterprises, and environmental information disclosure profits to improve the policy effect of low-carbon city pilot. This study provides implications for the effective implementation of environmental policy and the synergistic of renewable and fossil energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]