Thermal Power Industry Research Articles

The impacts of emission trading scheme on China’s thermal power industry: A pre-evaluation from the micro level

Emission trading scheme is known as a cost-effective measure for mitigating CO2 emissions, and recently, China has started the world's largest carbon trading system. As the most influential industry in determining China's overall CO2 emission level, the thermal power industry will be greatly affected by nationwide carbon market in the near future. This paper explores the impact of the upcoming national emission trading scheme on China's thermal power industry at firm level. First, based on empirical data of 478 thermal power plants, an empirical analytical framework of micro-firm level is constructed. Then, two kinds of policy scenarios, including no carbon emission trading and national emission trading scheme, in two different market structures have been analyzed. The results show that emission trading scheme have positive impacts on reduction of CO2 emissions among China’s power plants and can reduce the total abatement costs by 0.37%–41.5%. Furthermore, most of the thermal power plants are emissions permits buyers including all the low-emission gas-fired power plants. Additionally, compared with the perfect competition market, more than 70% of thermal power plants increase their total abatement costs in imperfect competition market. These findings provide reference for promoting the development of nationwide carbon emission trading system in China.

Investigating the Influence of the Implementation of an Energy Development Plan on Air Quality Using WRF-CAMx Modeling Tools: A Case Study of Shandong Province in China

In this paper, the Weather Research Forecast (WRF) Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) modeling system with the particulate source apportionment technology (PSAT) module was used to study and analyze the spatial and temporal distribution of atmospheric pollutant concentrations and the source apportionment of fine particles (PM2.5) under the base year and an emission reduction scenario in the Shandong province, China. Our results show that industry is the largest contributor of PM2.5. In addition, the contribution of key energy-related industries was as high as 29.5%, with the thermal power industry being the largest individual contributor. In January, the largest contribution came from residents, reaching 41.3%. Moreover, loose coal burning in rural areas contributed up to 19.4% in winter. Our results also show that the emission reduction scenario had palpable effects on the reduction of air pollution. The more the emissions of SO2, NOx, PM2.5, and PM10 were reduced, the more the average concentration was decreased. The implementation of energy conservation and emission reduction policies by industry and resident is conducive to improving the quality of the atmospheric environment. In particular, a comprehensive control of loose coal burning in winter could significantly improve heavy pollution by particulate matter in winter.

Research on energy-saving and emissions reduction efficiency in Chinese thermal power companies

In a low-carbon economic environment, China’s thermal power industry has developed at a rapid speed. Faced with significant development bottlenecks, however, promoting energy conservation and technological innovation has become the current goals of the country’s thermal power industry. Taking into account the heterogeneity of production technology, we utilize panel data of 23 listed thermal power companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2010 to 2015 as samples and divide them into large, medium, and small groups according to company size. Based on a meta-frontier function and the non-radial data envelopment analysis method, we evaluate the performance of energy-saving and emissions reduction in the thermal power industry when considering slack variables of energy input and undesirable output. The empirical study’s results show that the mean energy-saving and emissions reduction performance in this power industry is generally low and exhibits significant differences under different frontiers. The performance of energy-saving and emissions reduction from high to low is small, large, and medium-size groups. The small-size group seems to obtain the industry-leading level production technology. Moreover, the technology gap and insufficient management are the primary sources of the total performance loss.

Carbon Footprint Analysis of Coal Gangue in Geotechnical Engineering Applications

Coal gangue is a mine waste generated during the mineral processing phase of coal production. With the surge in demand for coal in thermal power, steel and cement generation industries, the rate of coal gangue generation has reached unprecedented heights. With the realisation of potential threat posed by coal gangue, researchers have made attempts to explore many new avenues of applications for its bulk utilisation. Unfortunately, the implications of coal gangue utilisation on the surrounding environment have not been taken into consideration. In the present study, an attempt has been made to perform carbon footprint analysis on coal gangue to assess the CO2 emissions in utilising it as an embankment material. A similar analysis is done to evaluate the emissions in its disposal process. The results obtained from both the analysis have been compared to assess the feasibility of utilising coal gangue in targeted geotechnical engineering applications. The studies corroborate the fact that the utilisation of coal gangue can lead to a significant decrease in the carbon footprints generation, thus leaving a positive impact on the environment.

Comprehensive Assessment of Russia’s Electric Power Industry’s Technological Transformation

The article discusses the possibilities for and results of structural changes in the electric power industry of Russia, which performs the integrating function for the country’s fuel and energy complex during its transformation in the context of various scenarios supposed for the world’s technological transition to the use of noncarbon energy in the period up to 2040. The optimal lines of technological progress and its acceleration rates in the industry, which ensure full replacement of the existing capacities of gas- and then also coal-fired power plants by new types of equipment, as well as noticeable increase in the share of noncarbon (nuclear and renewable) sources, are investigated. The effect that the choice of a more energy-efficient and diversified structure of generating capacities has on the consumption of energy resources and also on the direct and indirect effects for the national economy of Russia is estimated. For estimating the consequences from structural transformation of the electric power industry, the integral energy and economic characteristics of the conservative and innovative scenarios of its development are calculated. Based on these characteristics, a system of indicators for comprehensively estimating the industry’s development scenarios is proposed that reflect the extent of its technological renovation, energy efficiency, energy balance diversification, price load, and budgetary effectiveness. The results of applying the proposed system of indicators confirmed the advantages of the electric power industry’s innovative-development scenario. The following two strategic objectives can simultaneously be solved within the framework of this scenario in the period up to 2040. First, it will be possible to overcome the long-lasting technological backwardness of the domestic thermal power industry and reach the level of best technologies in gas- and coal-fired power generation. Second, it will be possible to ensure a very rapid growth in the scales of using noncarbon technologies (nuclear and renewable energy), thus setting up a background for achieving a situation in which they would account for up to half the electricity production by the mid 21st century. It is shown that the acceleration of technological progress in the electric power industry will compensate one-third of the losses in Russia’s economy due to decreased export of fuel when a shift is made around the world to noncarbon energy.

Environmental efficiency and market segmentation: An empirical analysis of China’s thermal power industry

Abstract Dominated by state-owned administrative monopolistic enterprises, China’s power industry faces a dilemma that is being provoked by market-oriented reforms. Regional protectionism makes it more difficult for those more efficient – but non-local – power generators to enter into the local market, thereby causing significant market segmentation (MS). In view of regional technology heterogeneity, a meta-frontier non-radial slacks-based measure model is used to evaluate the environmental efficiency (EE) of China’s thermal power industry. Further, we utilize a panel-data Tobit model and apply counterfactual analysis to explore the impacts of MS on EE. The results show that: (1) Technology gaps exist between the group frontier and the meta-frontier, exhibiting greater potential for improvement. (2) The degree of MS in thermal power industry in most provinces fluctuates within a narrow range from 2006 to 2015, and peaks during the period from 2008 to 2010. (3) MS negatively affects EE performance both significantly and robustly, with up to a 15% loss of thermal power generation due to MS in 2009. (4) Significant regional technology heterogeneity exists, along with a widening technology gap ratio between developed and underdeveloped areas. This study provides insightful policy implications for the sustainable development of China’s thermal power industry.

Composition and Structure of Microspheres in Ash and Slag Wastes on the Far East of the Russian Federation (Case of the CHPP-2 plant, Vladivostok)

The results of laboratory studies of the composition and structure of microspheres of ash and slag wastes of Russian Far East energy enterprises (in particular, CHPP-2, Vladivostok) are presented in this scientific work. It has been established that the microspheres are concentrated in particles of technogenic wastes with a size of up to 500 μm, with the prevailing mass of valuable geomaterial (75-80 %) being in narrow granulometric classes from 71 to 100 μm and 100 to 200 μm. Part of the microspheres is represented by unusual techogenic metal alloys (for example, antimony with aluminium), has a density of more than 1g/cm3, and when wet enriched in water precipitates. From a practical point of view, the investigated microspheres cannot be considered a ready commercial product, since they contain a significant amount of carbon concentrate, which is unburned solid fuel particles. In this connection, it is required to develop effective technological solutions for the extraction and purification of microspheres from ash and slag wastes from the thermal power industry of the Far East of the Russian Federation.

Technology options: Can Chinese power industry reach the CO2 emission peak before 2030?

From the start of China’s G20 presidency, China positions itself as a world leader in fighting climate change and emphasizes the wish to ‘break a new path for growth’. China aims to peak carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2030 and cut its greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60–65% from 2005 levels by 2030. The pledge is eagerly awaited as China aims to develop a low carbon economy through switching to alternatives to fossil fuels and being technologically energy-efficient. The power industry is the most important industrial sector while the biggest bottleneck for CO2 emission control in China. This paper develops a technologies-based bottom-up CO2 mitigation model to assess emission reduction potential of different technologies in the thermal power industry up to 2030. Using 2010 as the reference year, two macro-economic scenarios and four technological scenarios have been set to describe future policy measures for the period of 2015–2030. CO2 emission trends, reduction potentials and cost curves are demonstrated under different scenarios. The results show that the electric power industry can reach its CO2 emission peak by 2030 in the middle policy control scenario under macro-economic slow growth. Emissions would peak at 4.6 billion tonnes CO2-eq for the least cost scenario, which is 1.78 billion tones CO2-eq less than peak the BAU scenario in 2030. This is equivalent to the total CO2 emissions from 300 MW to 1000 MW coal-fired power plants with 5000 h in 30 provinces and municipalities of China in 2013. This research shows that the top four negative cost-beneficial technology options, 630℃ or 700℃ USC, small hydroelectricity, and nuclear power pressurized water reactor II and III, are the most preferable to be promoted to meet the CO2 emissions peak target in 2020 and 2030.

Investigating Factors of Safety Culture Assessment in Construction Industry Projects

Early signs of an organizational commitment to safety policies are manifested in the safety culture in that organization. Improving the safety culture of contractors can reduce occupational accidents in construction industry projects. Many scholars tend to research on this concept in order to achieve an approach to reducing occupational accidents. Numerous studies have attempted to identify the components affecting the safety culture using various methods and tools for measuring and assessing the safety culture; nevertheless, none of these studies measured the impact level of each of the evaluated factors on the safety culture. Hence, this study, assess the influence of each of these factors on the safe culture of contractors working in the construction industry. This study used a structural equation modeling approach to examine the safety culture assessment factors. Accordingly, ten factors affecting the safety culture were scrutinized to provide a conceptual model with ten predictable paths for evaluating the relationships between the variables. The data collected from thermal power plant construction projects were applied to test the hypothesized model experimentally using SEM-PLS method. According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that the factors of management commitment, appraisal of work hazards, supportive environment and communication among the factors influencing the safety culture of contractors in the studied projects had respectively the most impact on the safety culture of contractors operating in the thermal power industry, as well as the work pressure had the least impact on the safety culture..

Does an Ecological Industry Chain Improve the Eco-Efficiency of an Industrial Cluster? Based on Empirical Study of an Energy-Intensive Industrial Cluster in China

An energy-intensive industrial cluster is a combination and integration of energy-intensive industries formed by ecological industry chains. Eco-efficiency may reflect the effect of ecological industry chains in an energy-intensive industrial cluster. To evaluate the eco-efficiency of energy-intensive industries, industry chains, and industrial clusters with different level of eco-industry chains, the eco-efficiency is decomposed into two dimensions of resource efficiency and environment efficiency. The eco-efficiency evaluation index system and models of energy-intensive industries are constructed to analyze the eco-efficiency using a two-dimensional three-layer matrix framework, including energy-intensive industries, ecological industry chains, and industrial clusters. This paper presents an empirical and comparative analysis based on data from the chemical industry, building materials industry, metallurgy industry, and thermal power industry from 2004 to 2015. The results show that the eco-efficiency of energy-intensive industry, energy-intensive industry chains, and energy-intensive industrial clusters are all on the rise. The eco-efficiency of energy-intensive industrial clusters and energy-intensive industry chains are obviously higher than that of any single energy-intensive industry. This finding indicates that the ecological industry chains of an energy-intensive industrial cluster have improved the eco-efficiency. In recent years, the effect of ecological industry chains and network construction has been significant, but not tight enough.

Installation Planning in Regional Thermal Power Industry for Emissions Reduction Based on an Emissions Inventory.

Exploring suitable strategies for air pollution control, while still maintaining sustainable development of the thermal power industry, is significant for the improvement of environmental quality and public health. This study aimed to establish a coupling relationship between installed capacity versus energy consumption and pollutant emissions, namely the installed efficiency, and to further provide ideas and methods for the control of regional air pollutants and installation planning. An inventory of 338 installed thermal power units in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region in 2013 was established as a case study, and comparisons were made by clustering classification based on the installed efficiencies of energy consumption and pollutant emissions. The results show that the thermal power units were divided into five classes by their installed capacity: 0–50, 50–200, 200–350, 350–600, and 600+ MW. Under the energy conservation and emissions reduction scenario, with the total installed capacity and the power generation generally kept constant, the coal consumption was reduced by 17.1 million tons (8.7%), and the total emissions were reduced by 79.8% (SO2), 84.9% (NOx), 60.9% (PM), and 59.5% (PM2.5).

Desulfurization Electricity Price and Emission Trading：Comparative analysis of thermal power industry in China and the United States

China and the United States respectively adopted desulfurization electricity price and emission trading to achieved the effective sulfur dioxide emissions reduction in thermal power industry. By the methodology of cost-benefit analysis and comparative analysis with the United States, this paper analyzed the coal-fired power plants’ desulfurization cost, benefit, and social emission reduction cost of China’s desulfurization electricity price policy. The main findings are, the results of cost-benefit analysis show that China’s policy against the polluter pays principle, polluters can get benefit from this policy. Second, in terms of the cost of emission reduction, China’s cost is very high with 5.52 billion U.S. dollars in 2000 while the USA only cost 0.5-2.0 billion US dollars. Also, compared with the decreasing social cost of the United States, the China desulfurization electricity price policy leads the social SO2 reduction cost expanded and economic inefficiencies. The conclusion is, as the policy’s objective has been achieved, the desulfurization electricity price policy in China should be cancelled. The way of reducing pollutants emission in the form of price subsidies cannot be extended to other pollutants or other industries emission control.

Research on Energy Consumption Benchmark Index System and Evaluation of Thermal Power Unit

With the acceleration of industrialization, urbanization and the continuous upgrading of consumption structure, China’s energy demand has grown rigidly. The coal-based energy structure has caused China’s economic development to face severe environmental pressures. Energy conservation and emission reduction in the power industry has become an inevitable development trend. In order to strengthen energy consumption management and control in the thermal power industry, improve energy efficiency, and comprehensively implement energy efficiency benchmarking, this paper establishes thermal energy plant energy consumption index system according to the characteristics of thermal power plant energy consumption, and uses multi-attribute decision-making methods to evaluate the index system for China’s thermal power generation and provide theoretical guidance for energy transformation, energy conservation and emission reduction.

Analysis of impact of national carbon market on thermal power and renewable energy development

At the end of last year, the national carbon emission market of China was officially launched, and the power industry became the first industry included in the national carbon market. Participating in the national carbon market will increase the cost of power generation in the thermal power industry by adding carbon prices to the cost of power generation, thereby limit the total emissions of the thermal power industry. At the same time, the carbon market will also result in improving the competitiveness of renewable energy. Therefore, the carbon market will cause a profound impact on the entire power industry.

Wind power development, government regulation structure, and vested interest groups: Analysis based on panel data of Province of China

Under pressure to reduce emissions and protect the environment, China has been vigorously promoting the development of renewable energy. In recent years, wind power generation in China has developed very quickly, but its overall use ratio is very low and there are still many obstacles impeding further development of wind power. Firstly, this paper systematically analyzes the relationship between different influencing factors of wind power growth, including the level of government regulation and the impact of vested interest groups, based on the private interest theory of government regulation. Secondly, we use panel data from 31 Chinese provinces to examine the theoretical assumptions. The results show that the delegation of approval authority led to the growth of regional wind power installed capacity. The influence on local government by the local thermal power industry exerted a negative impact on the development of local wind power when the local government held the approval authority. However, this influence relation disappeared when the central government held the approval power. Thus, the government needs to make a trade-off between different levels of approval authority. The paper concludes with several suggestions to promote China's wind power development.

An integrated approach for allocating carbon emission quotas in China’s emissions trading system

China has started its design of national emissions trading system (ETS), and power sector is included in its initial stage. In this paper, we propose a systematic framework to estimate total carbon emission quota required to meet the national GDP energy intensity target, and allocate the emission quota. The theoretical framework consists of three basic approaches - “top-down”, “bottom-up” and “the integration” approaches, and assumes key parameters such as CO2 emission intensity target, contribution of emission abatement from ETS, coverage range of ETS, and industry emissions standards. Based on actual data from 2011, we forecast development of China’s thermal power industry into 2020 under different official planning scenarios. With the approaches proposed, we show on to adjust the emissions benchmarking at technology level for reaching expected contribution of emissions abatement from ETS. The proposed methodology is informative to ETS market regulators and power utilities.

Where should China's thermal power industry prioritize its B&R investment? A study based on an environmental site selection analysis

The Belt and Road initiative (B&R) provided high-level opportunities for China's outward foreign direct investment. This study uses China's thermal power industry as an example for selecting optimum investment locations based on the host countries' environmental regulations. The study proposes an environmental site selection model based on a principal component and panel regression analysis. Considering the results of the principal component analysis, the main influencing factors affecting China's thermal power industry outward foreign direct investment (CTP-OFDI) and the comprehensive score of B&R countries were screened. In addition, the regression analysis provided a ranking of attractiveness scores for each country. Combining the analysis and results, the study draws the following conclusions. (1) The factors influencing investment are diverse and comprehensive, and the main influencing factors include three aspects, industrial development, the social and political situation, and the ecological environment. (2) Environment regulations are a significant factor and have a negative relationship with CTP-OFDI. (3) The B&R countries could be divided into the preferred, alternative, inferior, and avoidable investment locations. To conclude, the countermeasures and suggestions for improving investments are proposed based on the results of the environmental site selection model.

Promotion of Investments in the Technological Renewal of the Thermal Power Industry

The article considers the consequences of various price decision scenarios to promote investments in the technological renewal of the Russian thermal power industry. It is shown that in the context of the balance of interests of the industry and consumers, flexible control of the marginal price level in a competitive capacity market and its segmentation with allowance for the expected growth of gross revenue in the thermal power industry is preferable to the transition to marginal pricing for electricity and power based on the economic return from new power plants.

Research on evaluation indicators system of operation performance for desulfurization denitrification and dedusting equipment in key industries

As the situation of air pollutants control is more severe and the policy of energy-saving and emission reduction related industries become stricter at current time, it’s urgent to carry out operation performance assessment work for flue gas desulfurization denitrification and dedusting equipment. This article analyses the current operation situation of the equipment of air pollutants emission and control in thermal power and steel industries in China, which shows the necessity and the urgency of a series of national technical specifications of operation performance assessment for flue gas desulfurization denitrification and dedusting equipment in key industries. Furthermore, the paper highlights the building of operation performance evaluation indicators system for coal-fired flue gas desulfurization denitrification equipment and dust collector for sintering flue gas from iron and steel industries, and the qualitative assessment requirements and the quantitative evaluation indicators, which could promote the construction of operation effectiveness assessment mechanism for air pollutants control equipment of key industries in China and accelerate the reliability and the effectiveness of the equipment operating in China by standardization.

Comparative Analysis of the Efficiency of Cast Iron Boilers at Power Plants

Currently, in most regions of the Russian Federation low-capacity heating boiler rooms are being in use. They are equipped with domestic cast-iron boilers which service life exceed 25 years. As a result, the used burner equipment and automatics are morally and physically obsolete and not responding the modern requirements of the Federal Law “On Heat Supply” adopted on 10th August 2017 to reform the thermal power industry with the aim of enhancing the energy, ecologic and economic performance of equipment. In conditions of active search for reserves of fuel and energy economy resources research connected with the use of cast iron boilers of low power is essential. Low-capacity boiler rooms are widely used as a source of thermal energy for industrial enterprises and residential sector, as well as for reconstruction of historic areas of major cities. The current direction of the research is benchmarking of all characteristics of the operation of cast-iron heating boilers of domestic production after technical re-equipment using modern equipment and instrumentation with foreign production which is widely used in our country. The result of the research work is the development of recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of low-capacity boiler rooms.