Electricity portfolio innovation for energy security: The case of carbon constrained China

Abstract

China's energy sector is under pressure to achieve secure and affordable supply and a clear decarbonisation path. We examine the longitudinal trajectory of the Chinese electricity supply security and model the near future supply security based on the 12 th 5 year plan. Our deterministic approach combines Shannon-Wiener, Herfindahl-Hirschman and electricity import dependence indices for supply security appraisal. We find that electricity portfolio innovation allows China to provide secure energy supply despite increasing import dependence. It is argued that long-term aggressive deployment of renewable energy will unblock China's coal-biased technological lock-in and increase supply security in all fronts. However, reduced supply diversity in China during the 1990s will not recover until after 2020s due to the long-term coal lock-in that can threaten to hold China's back from realising its full potential.

Energy and carbon intensity: A study on the cross-country industrial shift from China to India and SE Asia

“…The continuous steep decline in China's carbon intensity per economic output (Section 3) is a result of central organization and robust policies applied in the country [78,79]. Discussing carbon intensity per energy input, the divergence that the Philippines show has its origins in the increasingly coal reliant fuel mix between 1994-2014 which resulted in an eight-fold increase in CO2 emissions originating from its coal fuel mix and the use of blast furnace gas fuel [80].…”

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from power generation in China’s provinces in 2020

“…It has made electrification of the energy system a popular choice in the process of decarbonisation. Fossil fuels used for heating purposes and in transportation system can be replaced by electricity that is produced by renewables and other low carbon technologies, which in turn reduce CO2 emissions, changing the fuel mix without compromising security of supply [1][2][3]. Such transition would require electricity generation to be at least carbon emission competitive comparing to the conventional technologies, therefore the benefits of electrification can be justified.…”

Assessment of electrical vehicles as a successful driver for reducing CO2 emissions in China

“…China has experienced a rapid economic and energy sector growth over the past two decades. Its energy sector development is a balancing act to achieve targets for affordability, energy security and emissions control [1] while at the same time serving an enormous urbanisation movement. Due to improved living standards, road transportation has become a pressing issue [2].…”