Decarbonising electricity systems in major cities through renewable cooperation – A case study of Beijing and Zhangjiakou

Abstract

It is essential to decarbonise the electricity systems in the city-level, especially the major cities, such as Beijing. This work explores how major cities can decarbonise their electricity systems through renewable cooperation by conducting a case study of Beijing and Zhangjiakou. Beijing, as a city with deficient renewable resources, is well suited for electricity cooperation with the city of Zhangjiakou, which will co-host the 2022 Winter Olympics with Beijing and have rich renewable resources. We therefore construct an hourly Zhangjiakou–Beijing Renewable Electricity Cooperation (Z-BREC) system based on the EnergyPLAN model. Four scenarios—restricted/unrestricted Zhangjiakou with/without energy storage scenarios—are simulated and analysed. We present a method of calculating the range for two cities to cooperate over renewable electricity and analyse detailed hourly output curves in exploring the role of energy storage. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis is conducted on the effects of the transmission capacity and losses in the transmission and distribution system. Results show that the amount of renewable electricity that can potentially be exported from Zhangjiakou to Beijing is 19.7–31.8 TW h in 2020 and 45.0–61.5 TW h in 2030, respectively accounting for 17%–27% and 30%–41% of Beijing’s electricity demand. By 2030, energy storage can increase the amount of generated renewable energy exported from Zhangjiakou to Beijing by 4.8–5.65 TW h.