Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the various technological options for the future development of China’s electric power sector taking into consideration its environmental impact. A baseline case, four sulfur control cases, and two carbon control cases were simulated in the least-cost optimization energy model. The calculated results show that with no environmental constraints coal-fired power plants would remain China’s least-cost option to satisfy its rapidly growing electricity demand in the future. Sulfur control alone in China’s electric power sector would have a limited impact on the improvement of its overall generation efficiency and carbon emissions, and carbon control would bring not only significant sulfur and carbon emission mitigation but also an improvement in the overall generation efficiency and fuel switching from coal to natural gas. The low marginal costs of carbon mitigation in China’s electric power sector show that future possible international cooperation with the sector on climate change issues such as the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol would be cost-effective.
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Ma, C., Fujii, Y. & Yamaji, K. China’s electric power sector’s options considering its environmental impact. Environ Econ Policy Stud 5, 319–340 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03353927
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03353927