Study of the emissions and spatial distributions of various power-generation technologies in China

The power sector is the main contributor to climate change and atmospheric pollution, and reducing the emissions from the power sector is essential for achieving sustainable development. However, few studies have accounted for the emissions from various power-generation technologies. In this paper, a high-resolution inventory of power plants with more than 6 MW accounting for 93% of the national power generation in China is established for the first time. Based on this inventory, the CO2, NOx and SO2 emissions of China's hard coal power, natural gas power, hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic power, biomass power and nuclear power are calculated by using the life cycle assessment method, and their spatial distributions in 2014 are further analyzed. The results show that China's power plants emitted 3.44 E+09 t CO2, 8.56 E+06 t NOx, and 1.19 E+07 t SO2, and the uncertainties were (-18.66%, +19.14%), (-67.10%, +66.41%) and (-88.69%, +87.61%) in 2014, respectively. Renewable-energy power plants accounted for approximately 15% of the national power generation but only contributed less than 1% of the total emissions. Meanwhile, in China's eastern cities, renewable-energy power accounts for the lowest proportion of the total installed capacity. In addition, both the emission amount and intensity were significantly higher in eastern cities than central and western cities. This study will help improve research on the emissions of all power-generation technologies in China and help achieve a comprehensive and systematic emissions reduction strategy.

Automated summary

The power sector plays a major role in climate change and atmospheric pollution. This study established a detailed inventory of power plants in China, analyzing emissions from different power-generation technologies. The results showed that renewable energy power plants contribute less to emissions, but emissions intensity is higher in eastern cities compared to central and western cities.