Potential In China Research Articles

Measuring dynamics of solar energy resource quality: Methodology and policy implications for reducing regional energy inequality

Solar energy utilization has been widely recognized as the most promising solution for achieving the global and regional carbon neutral targets. While existing literature on assessment of the solar energy resource mostly focuses on the current availability of energy quantity, the dynamic quality characteristics of reliable energy supplies are always neglected. This research presents a holistic spatiotemporal assessment methodology to quantify the solar energy resource quality (SERQ) from a quantity and quality coupled perspective. Specifically, we used the time-series daily meteorological reanalysis data, annual land use/cover, and nighttime light data during 1992–2018 to investigate the dynamic properties of SERQ at the 0.125° × 0.125° grid cell level across China. The validation process based on exiting solar power farms was conducted to analyze the applicability of proposed method in site selection. Our findings revealed that the annual solar energy potential in China was estimated at 66 PWh with the high resource quality level (SERQI>0.6). Furthermore, the outcomes of resource quality evaluation are more sensitive to the power load accessibility index. The involvement of energy quality dimension would reduce regional energy inequality in China. Thus, we highlight the necessity of improving the long-distance power transmission and energy storage infrastructures. Mapping the SERQ at the country level could provide investors and decision makers with useful insights to develop appropriate energy planning and incentive policies.

Pooling Regional Energy between China, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and Russia

This paper assesses the energy requirements and potential of China, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey in the context of the geostrategic locations of these countries. It notes that the demand, potential, andactual supply of energy in these countries make a viable prospect for a framework, whereby these countries pool their energy together for the benefit of each country. While there are certain initiatives already in place, there is potential for more bilateral or regional energy-sharing initiatives. The current and proposed frameworks of energy-sharing have laid an infrastructure of pipelines or communication corridors. Based on these factors, the paper proposes an energy corridor between these countries, titled ‘Golden Ring Energy Corridor’ (GREC). This corridor will connect the ‘golden ring countries’ to enable energy trade through pipeline, land, and sea routes among these states. A strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the proposed corridor takes account of the various internal and external factors that have the potential to contribute positively or negatively towards the completion and viability of this corridor. Some countermeasures have also been suggested so that the implementation of this corridor can be realized.

Study on the Potential of China’s Fruit and Vegetable Products Export to the RCEP Partners

Study on the Potential of China’s Fruit and Vegetable Products Export to the RCEP Partners

China's Electric Power Industry: State and Development Prospects in the Context of Carbon Neutral Industry

China has set a goal of achieving peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. Increasing the electricity utilization factor is the key to achieving this goal. The article considers the development of China's electric power industry in recent years and compares the installed electrical capacity, electricity production and consumption, investments in the electric power industry, and analyzes the characteristics and potential of China's renewable energy sources, including hydraulic, wind and solar energy. Increasing the electricity production from renewable energy sources, promoting the substitution of conventional fossil energy sources such as oil with electricity, increasing the share of electricity in the total energy consumption, and strengthening international cooperation in the field of electricity generation from renewable energy sources are important measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and solve the climate change problem. The promotion of environmentally clean transport facilities such as electric vehicles and electric bicycles, combination of renewable energy sources with energy storages, and prioritizing the construction of demonstration projects in remote industrial and rural areas are measures that will help to gradually increase the utilization factor of renewable energy sources in China.

An improved mixed distribution for estimating the wind potential in China

This work uses the previously developed mixed distribution, however, with added a parameter and function. We introduce the improved mixed distribution model as an alternative wind speed distribution, which combines three distributions. Four extreme value distributions are considered to model mixed distribution, improved mixed distribution, and estimate wind speed. The efficiency of univariate, mixed, and improved mixed distributions on actual wind speed data from China’s diverse regions is estimated. Using the minimal standard error of fit (SEF) test, 65.5% of samples are better suitable for the improved mixed distribution. The best model’s return period is also calculated. Moreover, the addition of another parameter and function in mixed distributions has improved the results. This statistical analysis concluded that improved mixed distributions are more suitable and accurate for assessing wind speed data.

Molecular Phylogeography and Intraspecific Divergences in Siberian Wildrye (Elymus sibiricus L.) Wild Populations in China, Inferred From Chloroplast DNA Sequence and cpSSR Markers.

A detailed understanding of the distribution and degree of genetic variation within a species is important for determining their evolutionary potential, which in return facilitates the development of efficient conservation strategies aimed at preserving adaptive genetic variation. As an important perennial, cool-season grass in temperate Eurasia, increasing attention has been paid to Siberian wildrye (Elymus sibiricus) due to its excellent ecological utilization value and forage production potential in China, particularly in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) regions. In this study, we applied two chloroplast (cp) genes (matK and rbcL), three cp spacer regions (trnY-GUA∼trnD-GUC, atpH∼atpF, and rps4∼trnT-UGU), and six cpSSR markers to the genetic and phylogenetic analysis of 137 wild E. sibiricus accessions from 23 natural populations that represent the main distribution regions in China. The results show the highest genetic diversity (h = 0.913) and haplotype richness (10 haplotypes) for the QTP population, which indicates QTP as the probable diversity center and geographic origin of E. sibiricus in China. Population divergence was high, indicating a significant phylogeographic structure together with a significantly higher Nst value (Nst > Gst, P < 0.05) at the species level, QTP+XJ (combined populations from QTP and Xinjiang), QTP+NC (combined populations from QTP and North China), and XJ+NC (combined populations from Xinjiang and North China) group levels, respectively. An expansion was revealed in the distributional range of E. sibiricus in China from paleo times up to the recent past, while a dramatic range of contraction was predicted for the near future. The predicted main limiting factor for the further spread of E. sibiricus is an increasing global mean temperature. We recommend that the combination of Es-cpDNA1 and Es-cpDNA3+4+5 can be used as effective markers for phylogenetic analysis and phylogeographical history analysis of E. sibiricus. These findings shed new light on the historical population dynamics of cold-season herbs in the QTP region and the north of China and are of great significance for the future establishment of protection and collection strategies for wild E. sibiricus germplasm.

Assessment of wind and photovoltaic power potential in China

Decarbonization of the energy system is the key to China’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. However, the potential of wind and photovoltaic (PV) to power China remains unclear, hindering the holistic layout of the renewable energy development plan. Here, we used the wind and PV power generation potential assessment system based on the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) method to investigate the wind and PV power generation potential in China. Firstly, the high spatial-temporal resolution climate data and the mainstream wind turbines and PV modules, were used to assess the theoretical wind and PV power generation. Then, the technical, policy and economic (i.e., theoretical power generation) constraints for wind and PV energy development were comprehensively considered to evaluate the wind and solar PV power generation potential of China in 2020. The results showed that, under the current technological level, the wind and PV installed capacity potential of China is about 56.55 billion kW, which is approximately 9 times of those required under the carbon neutral scenario. The wind and PV power generation potential of China is about 95.84 PWh, which is approximately 13 times the electricity demand of China in 2020. The rich areas of wind power generation are mainly distributed in the western, northern, and coastal provinces of China. While the rich areas of PV power generation are mainly distributed in western and northern China. Besides, the degree of tapping wind and PV potential in China is not high, and the installed capacity of most provinces in China accounted for no more than 1% of the capacity potential, especially in the wind and PV potential-rich areas.

Assessment of concentrated solar power generation potential in China based on Geographic Information System (GIS)

Concentrated solar power (CSP) technology can not only match peak demand in power systems but also play an important role in the carbon neutrality pathway worldwide. Actions in China is decisive. Few previous studies have estimated CSP technology’s power generation and CO2 emission reduction potentials in China. To address this knowledge gap, the geographical, technical, and CO2 emission reduction potential of CSP in China was evaluated by province based on a high resolution geographical information system with up-to-date data. A comprehensive framework including geographic and technical constrains was proposed. Exclusion criteria including solar radiation, slope, land-use type, natural reserve, and water resources were adopted to determine the suitability of CSP plant construction. Then, based on the power conversion efficiency difference from various CSP technologies, the technical potential was calculated on suitable land. The results show that approximately 1.02 × 106 km2 of land is available to support CSP development in China. Based on the available solar resource on the suitable land, the geographical potential is 2.13 × 1015 kWh. The potential installed capacity is 2.45 × 107–5.40 × 107 MW, considering four CSP technologies. The corresponding annual energy generation potential is 6.46 × 1013–1.85 × 1014 kWh. Considering the scenario of using the potential of CSP to replace the current power supply to the maximum extent, CO2 emission would have been reduced by 5.19 × 108, 5.61 × 108, and 6.24 × 108 t in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. At the provincial level, more than 99% of China’s technical potential is concentrated in five western provinces, including Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Gansu, and Tibet. These results provide policy guidance and serve as a reference for the future development of CSP and site selection for CSP plant construction both in China and worldwide.

Assessing the Socio‐Economic Effects of Carbon Capture, Utility and Storage Investment From the Perspective of Carbon Neutrality in China

AbstractCarbon Capture, Utility and Storage (CCUS) is essential for achieving carbon neutrality and has great development potential in China. CCUS, as a long‐term new investment, can address global warming and has significant social and economic impacts. This paper assessed the socio‐economic effects of CCUS investment based on carbon neutrality in China by combining the dynamic GTAP model and the Input‐output method. The result indicates that: CCUS investment may accumulate US$ 67.09 billion and US$ 776.61 billion from 2026 to 2030 and 2056 to 2060, respectively, based on International Energy Agency (IEA) investment scenario. Moreover, the corresponding value may increase to 8.26 billion and 743.21 billion US dollars from 2026 to 2030 and 2056 to 2060, respectively, based on Asian Development Bank (ADB) investment scenario; CCUS investment may stimulate gross value‐added of US$ 1.2 billion and US$ 10.4 billion based on ADB and IEA investment scenarios, respectively. CCUS investment may mainly promote the machinery industry, metal manufacturing industry, other service industries, power equipment manufacturing industry, and light processing manufacturing industry; Furthermore, ADB and IEA investment scenarios showed that CCUS industrial investment may indirectly create about 12,796 and 103,886 jobs, respectively, and US$ 85 million and US$ 692 million of labor employment income, respectively, in 2030. The corresponding values may increase to 0.82 million and 0.85 million jobs, respectively, and US$ 5,168 and US$ 5,396 million employment income, respectively, in 2060.

Great China Carbon Trading: Political Economy of Climate Change Governance

This study aims to analyze the political economy aspect of carbon trading markets in China and how it will influence climate change governance. It is essential to understand the underpinning political economy aspects of emerging carbon trading markets in China because China will operate the world’s largest carbon market. China’s work on carbon trading represents higher requirements for China’s national industries and a higher commitment to addressing climate change. This study uses an exploratory qualitative approach to examine the history of carbon trading in China, its political economy aspects, and how China's carbon trading can significantly contribute to climate change. When China launched its national carbon trading scheme in 2021, the size of China's carbon trading became the world's most extensive climate policy scheme. This study shows that China’s rigorous environmental policy experimentations to gradually establish carbon trading by implementing the CDM projects, setting up regional carbon trading pilots in six cities, finalizing regulations, and establishing a mechanism for national carbon trading have been successful. The prospect and potential of China's carbon trading are enormous, considering the size of the CDM projects in China, China’s position as one of the largest emitters in the world, and the scale of industries included in the national carbon trading scheme in China. However, there are still uncertainties in the prospect of carbon trading in China, historically weak climate policy enforcement, and misreporting of data that can affect the integrity of China’s calculation.

Change Trend and Restoration Potential of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity in China over the Past 20 Years

As an important vegetation parameter and ecological index, vegetation net primary productivity (NPP) can intuitively reflect changes in the ecological environment and the level of the carbon budget. However, the change trend of NPP and its recovery potential in China over the past 20 years remain unclear. Here, we used trend analysis, multiple regression analysis and residual analysis methods to analyse the change trend in the NPP of China’s terrestrial ecosystems from 2000 to 2019, as well as the climax background, restoration status and restoration potential of the NPP of forest, grassland and desert ecosystems. The results showed that (1) the change in vegetation NPP in China from 2000 to 2019 showed a continuous upward trend, with a change slope of 2.39 gC/m2/a2, and the area with a positive slope of change accounted for 68.10% of the country’s land area. The contribution rates of meteorological conditions and human activities to vegetation NPP changes were 85.41% and 14.59%, respectively. (2) The results obtained by the regression analysis method of meteorological conditions based on nature reserves could reflect the zonal climax vegetation status to a large extent, and the obtained values had a smooth transition within each ecogeographical division and between each ecogeographical division, which truly reflected the law of gradual change in climate, vegetation and natural conditions. The annual total NPP of the climax background vegetation in China’s forest, grassland and desert ecosystems was approximately 2.76 ± 0.28 PgC, and the annual total NPP of the three ecosystems was 1.90 ± 0.2 PgC, 0.80 ± 0.07 PgC and 0.009 ± 0.0005 PgC, respectively. (3) The annual total vegetation NPP of the restoration status of China’s forest, grassland and desert ecosystems was 2.24 PgC, and the annual total vegetation NPP of the three was 1.54 PgC, 0.65 PgC and 0.007 PgC, respectively. Benefiting from the effective implementation of climate warming and humidification and ecological engineering, the agro-pastoral zone, the Loess Plateau, the eastern Sichuan Basin and the Greater Khingan Range had the most significant increases in the past 20 years. (4) The annual total vegetation NPP of China’s forest, grassland and desert ecosystem restoration potential was approximately 0.52 ± 0.28 PgC, which accounted for approximately 19.05% of the annual total NPP of the climax background vegetation. The annual total vegetation NPP of forest, grassland and desert ecosystems restoration status was 0.36 ± 0.2 PgC, 0.16 ± 0.07 PgC and 0.002 ± 0.0005 PgC, respectively; the restoration potential accounted for 18.80%, 9.67% and 23.95% of the climax background vegetation NPP, respectively. The deployment of ecological projects should fully consider the restrictive climate conditions for decision makers and ecological scholars, and the benefits and costs of the projects should be considered comprehensively.

Perceptions Influencing Apparel Safety Sustainable Consumption Behaviour: Exploring the Contextual Relationship

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical model that explains that the impact of consumer perceptions of apparel safety on their consumption behavior is moderated by consumers’ attitude and the price in the relationship studied. A survey questionnaire was developed and conducted first in a pretest by 231 participants to initially identify possible measurement problems. Another 321 potential consumers subsequently filled in the questionnaire on our website, out of which 296 questionnaires were used to verify the validity and reliability by statistical analysis and the structural equation model. The paper identifies a set of apparel safety perception dimensions that do not drive safe consumption practices. It is further seen that price is more likely to moderate the relationship with consumer behaviors than perceptions and attitudes. Therefore, the paper significantly fills the gaps between apparel safety perceptions and apparel safety consumption behavior. The findings of the paper have significant implications for apparel companies who wish to explore the apparel market potential in China.

High potential of stable carbon sequestration in phytoliths of China's grasslands.

Phytolith carbon (C) sequestration plays a key role in mitigating global climate change at a centennial to millennial time scale. However, previous estimates of phytolith-occluded carbon (PhytOC) storage and potential in China's grasslands have large uncertainties mainly due to multiple data sources. This contributes to the uncertainty in predicting long-term C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems using Earth System Models. In this study, we carried out an intensive field investigation (79sites, 237soil profiles [0-100cm], and 61 vegetation assessments) to quantify PhytOC storage in China's grasslands and to better explore the biogeographical patterns and influencing factors. Generally, PhytOC production flux and soil PhytOC density in both the Tibetan Plateau and the Inner Mongolian Plateau had a decreasing trend from the Northeast to the Southwest. The aboveground PhytOC production rate in China's grassland was 0.48×106 t CO2 a-1 , and the soil PhytOC storage was 383×106 t CO2 . About 45% of soil PhytOC was stored in the deep soil layers (50-100cm), highlighting the importance of deep soil layers for C stock assessments. Importantly, the Tibetan Plateau had the greatest contribution (more than 70%) to the PhytOC storage in China's grasslands. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that altitude and soil texture significantly influenced the spatial distribution of soil PhytOC, explaining 78.1% of the total variation. Soil phytolith turnover time in China's grasslands was mainly controlled by climatic conditions, with the turnover time on the Tibetan Plateau being significantly longer than that on the Inner Mongolian Plateau. Our results offer more accurate estimates of the potential for phytolith C sequestration from ecological restoration projects in degraded grassland ecosystems. These estimates are essential to parameterizing and validating global C models.

Research on the Orderliness Synergy Between Conventional and Nonconventional for Energy Transition in China

Many industrialized countries are pursuing energy transition, but their focuses are different. The orderliness synergy as a unique aspiration of the current energy transition is emphasized in this article by constructing an orderliness-synergy evaluation model and selecting a dataset covering the period of 2011–2018 from Industrial Scale, Economic Benefit, Social Contribution, and Growth Potential of China to calculate the comprehensive development level and the orderliness-synergy degree of both the conventional energy industry and the nonconventional one. A novel evaluation model with stock-increment attributes is built to measure the resource storage and the growth rate systematically and to further analyze their driving forces. The results reveal that 1) the overall orderliness-synergy degree of these two sub-industries shows an upward trend year by year; however, there are some significant differences among them. 2) China’s energy transition has shown a dramatic promotion in the structural upgrading, while the momentums of these two sub-industries show a shift from the stock–resource–contribution advantage to the increment–resource–contribution advantage. 3) The actual stock-increment contribution coefficient values of these two sub-industries have not reached the development expectations of industrial performances, and there is still reasonable space for the structural optimization. Finally, policy implications are discussed.

Diverging water-saving potential across China's potato planting regions

China ranks the first in total planting area and production of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) over the world. However, high potato yield depends on a large amount of irrigation that raises a series of environment problems. Assessing the water-saving potential across China’s potato planting regions is of importance for maintaining sustainable development of potato production. In this study, we firstly evaluated the potential yields, rainfed yields, and their gaps of potato across different potato planting regions, and then presented optimal agronomic management options (planting date, cultivar maturity, and irrigation schedule) by considering both yield and water use efficiency of potato under the limitation of available water resources with validated APSIM-Potato model. Along the distribution of growth period solar radiation, potential yield of potato was highest in the North Single planting region (NS), followed by the Central Double planting region (CD), Southwest Mixed planting region (SWM), and South Winter planting region (SW). However, rainfed yield of potato was highest in CD followed by NS, SW, and SWM along the distribution of the reproductive growth period precipitation. Under the limitation of available water resources, most potato planting regions should select middle−late maturing cultivars while optimal planting dates varied among regions with earlier planting in north China and later planting in south China compared with normal planting date. Based on the optimization of planting date, cultivar maturity, and irrigation schedule, there is a large water-saving potential in China’s potato planting regions. Average irrigation amount could be decreased by 66% in SW, 49% in SWM, 40% in NS, and 29% in CD, respectively, relative to irrigation quota. Our study suggests that optimizing planting date, cultivar maturity, and irrigation management could realize win-win of yield and water use efficiency and provide a scientific support for water-saving irrigation of potato production in China.

Forest Restoration Potential in China: Implications for Carbon Capture

Reforestation is an eco-friendly strategy for countering rising carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and the negative effects of forest loss and degradation. China, with one of the world’s most considerable afforestation rates, has increased its forest cover from 16.6% 20 years ago to 23.0% by 2020. However, the maximum potential forest coverage achieved via tree planting and restoration is uncertain. To map potential tree coverage across China, we developed a random forest regression model relating environmental factors and appropriate forest types. We estimate 67.2 million hectares of land currently available for tree restoration after excluding existing forested areas, urban areas, and agriculture land covers/uses, which is 50% higher than the current understanding. Converting these lands to the forest would generate 3.99 gigatons of new above- and belowground carbon stocks, representing an important contribution to achieving carbon neutrality. This potential is spatially imbalanced, with the largest restorable carbon potential being located in the southwest (29.5%), followed by the northeast (17.2%) and northwest (16.8%). Our study highlights the need to align tree restoration areas with the uneven distribution of carbon sequestration potential. In addition to being a biological mitigation strategy to partially offset carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning, reforestation should provide other environmental services such as the restoration of degraded soils, conservation of biological diversity, revitalization of hydrological integrity, localized cooling, and improvement in air quality. Because of the collective benefits of forest restoration, we encourage that such activities be ecosystem focused as opposed to solely focusing on tree planting.

The New Environmentally Extended Input–Output Analysis to Measure Global Warming Potential in China

The New Environmentally Extended Input–Output Analysis to Measure Global Warming Potential in China

Quantification and Evaluation of Cropland Abandonment and Grain Productivity Potential in China

Quantification and Evaluation of Cropland Abandonment and Grain Productivity Potential in China

Positive Influence of Regulated Human Capital Accumulation on Economic Growth: A Theoretical Model

Human capital, as an important factor of production, directly promotes economic growth. On the other hand, it indirectly promotes economic growth by stimulating the accumulation of physical capital and improving the level of technological innovation. Therefore, human capital is the fundamental reason for economic growth. The key to make human capital play a long-term role is to correctly set the human capital accumulation equation. Different from the existing articles that set human capital accumulation equation from the perspective of human capital investment and physical capital investment, this paper focuses on the marginal output of physical capital. Based on the marginal output of physical capital, this paper makes human capital accumulation subject to a regulation that can completely offset the diminishing effect of physical capital marginal output and keep it at a reasonable level. This way of human capital accumulation is called “regulated” accumulation. The derivation of theoretical model proves that the regulated human capital accumulation, which is based on constant marginal output of physical capital, enables the growth rate of output to be constant and positive. Therefore, this paper finds the source of long-term economic growth from aspect of human capital. As the embodiment of a country’s comprehensive strength and core competitiveness, human capital has important strategic significance and great potential in China’s sustainable economic development. Regulated human capital accumulation can provide a new driving force for China’s economic growth and promote long-term development.

Analysis of Agricultural Biomass Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Evidence from China.

China is a large agricultural country, where agricultural activities and rural life cause a large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the process of crop growth, production, and processing, a large number of crop straws and agricultural wasted products are produced, which become one of the important sources of biomass resources. However, few detailed studies focused on the potential of China's agricultural biomass energy conversion and carbon emission reduction, and fewer studies proposed GHG emission reduction strategies from the perspective of making full use of China's agricultural waste resources. In this study, the quantity calculation index of agricultural biomass energy was given, and the GHG emission reduction potential calculation index of agricultural biomass energy was constructed, with which the amount of GHG emissions caused by agricultural waste use in China was measured and the potential of GHG emission reduction caused by agricultural waste use would be easily speculated. Based on the statistical data of China, the quantity and GHG emission reduction potential of agricultural biomass resources in China in the recent 10 years (2009∼2018) were clarified. According to the research, the amount of agricultural waste equivalent to standard coal in China from 2009 to 2018 reached 280,0711 million tons. If all these resources were used to replace coal, a total of 4,474,483 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions could be saved. Assuming that these wastes are anaerobic, carbonized, or fully burned as fuel, CH4 emissions could be reduced by up to 12.024 million tons and N2O emissions by up to 185,000 tons. It can be seen that the effective utilization of agricultural biomass resources can replace coal, reduce backwardness such as land burning, and then reduce CO2, CH4, N2O, and other greenhouse gas emissions, and promote the realization of carbon peak and carbon neutrality.