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

Carbon intensity of power generation is an important indicator to show the direct competitiveness of electricity against the combustion of fossil fuels. In this study, we estimate the carbon intensities of power generation in China's provinces. Most provinces are likely to have a carbon intensity per unit of power generation between 500 and 700 g CO2/kWh in 2020, which justifies the progress of electrification from the power generation perspective. With the growing share of low carbon power generation, most provinces show trends of decline in carbon intensity between 2015 and 2020. However, some provinces are expected to see increase in carbon intensity due to increasing share of coal power generation in their power mixes. Coal is still a major growth contributor in most provinces, despite significant growths of low carbon energy sources. Furthermore, renewable energy sources can help reduce the carbon intensity of power generation, but a better coordination among provinces is required, alongside with strong government support and direction

Field analysis of solar PV-based collective systems for rural electrification.

This article analyses the long-term performance of collective off-grid photovoltaic (PV) systems in rural areas. The use of collective PV systems for the electrification of small medium-size villages in developing countries has increased in the recent years. They are basically set up as stand-alone installations (diesel hybrid or pure PV) with no connection with other electrical grids. Their particular conditions (isolated) and usual installation places (far from commercial/industrial centers) require an autonomous and reliable technology. Different but related factors affect their performance and the energy supply; some of them are strictly technical but others depend on external issues like the solar energy resource and users’ energy and power consumption. The work presented is based on field operation of twelve collective PV installations supplying the electricity to off-grid villages located in the province of Jujuy, Argentina. Five of them have PV generators as unique power source while other seven include the support of diesel groups. Load demand evolution, energy productivity and fuel consumption are analyzed. Besides, energy generation strategies (PV/diesel) are also discussed

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

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 12th 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

Crise de abastecimento de água em São Paulo e falta de planejamento estratégico

Embora a crise no abastecimento de água na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP) tenha se manifestado de maneira mais intensa no verão de 2013-2014, ela revela um problema crônico que vem afetando toda a Região nos últimos dez anos. Esse problema foi gerado pela falta de um planejamento estratégico que considere questões climatológicas que podem indicar, com meses de antecedência, problemas de recomposição dos níveis dos mananciais, permitindo que ações sejam empreendidas com razoável antecedência, reduzindo os impactos para a população. Este estudo mostra como é possível utilizar informações climáticas na gestão estratégica do sistema de abastecimento da RMSP.Though the crisis in the water supplying system in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (RMSP) was more intensively felt in the 2013-2014 summer, it reveals a chronic problem that has been affecting the whole RMSP for the past ten years. This problem is originated from the lack of a strategic planning that takes into consideration climate issues that could, months before, foresee problems to restore the levels of water resources, allowing measures to be implemented within a reasonable anticipation, therefore reducing the impacts on the population. This study shows how it is possible to use climate information in the strategic management of the water supply in the RMSP

Parametric investigation concerning dimensions of a stand-alone wind-power system

A detailed parametric analysis is carried out concerning the optimum sizing of a stand-alone wind-power system, used to ensure the electricity supply of several remote consumers. This study initially analyzes the impact of the available wind-potential quality on the dimensions of the main system's components. Accordingly, the influence of the specific wind-power curve--utilized on the proposed configuration sizing--is also examined. In addition, the system's minimum acceptable reliability contribution is investigated for determining the minimum cost stand-alone system dimensions. Finally, the consumer size effect is taken into consideration during the best choice selection process. Thus, by incorporating the proposed parametric analysis results in an appropriate decision-taking procedure, a significant reduction of the system dimensions may be realized, leading to a remarkably diminished first installation cost.

Optimum autonomous wind-power system sizing for remote consumers, using long-term wind speed data

The usage of autonomous power-systems is one of the most successful ways to treat the electrification requirements of numerous isolated consumers, not only in Greece but also worldwide. Such an autonomous system comprises a micro-wind converter and a battery storage device, along with the corresponding electronic equipment. Considering the high wind potential of several regions in our country, an integrated study is carried out, based on long-term wind-potential experimental measurements, in order to determine the optimum configuration of a stand-alone wind power system. The proposed solution "guarantees" zero load rejections for all the 4-year period examined. For this purpose, two separate calculation approximations are developed, presenting almost similar results. Of course, the application of the "WINDREMOTE II" numerical code based on detailed measurements, gives almost analytical results concerning the energy autonomy and the operational status of the autonomous system components. Finally, by introducing preliminary financial aspects, it is possible to determine the optimum system dimensions on a minimum first-installation cost.Autonomous wind power system Optimum system sizing Remote consumers