Multi-objective optimization of coal-fired power units considering deep peaking regulation in China

China states to build new power system dominated by new energy power to promote the targets for peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Peaking regulation ancillary services provided by coal-fired power units is an essential solution to mitigate the volatility and instability of large-scale renewable energy for China's specific power mix. However, when the coal-fired power units operate at a low power output, the intensity of both coal consumption and carbon emissions gradually rises with the falling output rate. Moreover, cutting down the power output of coal-fired units frequently will damage the technical life. Given the impacts of power market reform and carbon mitigation targets, whether to participate in the energy market or the peaking regulation ancillary service market is an urgent issue for coal-fired power units. Considering the discrepancy in costs and benefits of various units at different output rate, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization model to solve the issue from the perspective of the coal-fired power generators, in which both economic profit and carbon reduction goals are coordinated. Sequential quadratic programming is adopted to solve the nonlinear optimization problem. In order to study the difference in the decisions made by varied technical units, 7 different types of units are analyzed in the case study. The scenarios analysis indicates that large-capacity and new coal-fired power units are better to participate in energy market since it can give full play to the advantage of higher generation efficiency, while the small-capacity ones are suitable to provide flexible service in the peaking regulation ancillary service market. Besides, simple low-carbon objective will burden the cost of coal-fired power units and challenge the sustainable transition of power system. Hence, the power system should balance both economic profit of generators and national carbon mitigation targets during the low-carbon transition.

Automated summary

China is planning to build a new energy power system dominated by new energy sources to achieve its carbon emissions peaking targets by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. This study examines the role of coal-fired power units in providing peaking regulation ancillary services to mitigate the volatility of renewable energy. The study proposes a multi-objective optimization model that considers both economic profit and carbon reduction goals. The results show that large-capacity and new coal-fired power units are better suited for participating in the energy market, while small-capacity units are more suitable for providing flexible services in the peaking regulation ancillary service market. Balancing economic profit and carbon mitigation targets is crucial for the sustainable transition of the power system.