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RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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Why would anyone finance another coal power plant in China?
Government officials and state-owned energy enterprises in China are currently debating another wave of coal power investment, despite a severely diminished business case for the technology. These companies that own and operate China’s coal fleet are already facing … View Summary +
China’s Watchdog for State-Owned Enterprises Grapples With Coal-Fired Generation
The future of China’s power sector, which accounts for about a quarter of the world’s annual consumption of coal and a still-growing fleet of coal-fired generation units, is one of the central questions for world climate policy. Within… View Summary +
减少弃风：提高电力系统调度比改造燃煤电厂更高效
中国的风能和太阳能装机容量世界第一，且有望成为“世界可再生能源的超级大国”。然而，中国也遇到了弃风限电问题。虽然近年来可再生能源弃电量有显著下降，但在很多省份仍然存在问题，且将随着风能和太阳能发电装机量的增长而持续成为挑战。幸运的是，政府部门正在制定诸多应对的战略措施。成功的关键要看这些战略是否协调一致。 近来，刊登在“气候政策”上的… View Summary +
Improving Power System Dispatch Reduces Wind Curtailment More Effectively than Retrofitting Coal Plants
China has the most installed wind and solar capacity in the world and has potential to become “the world’s renewable energy superpower.” However, China’s power sector has also struggled with extensive curtailment of wind and solar generation. Although renewables… View Summary +
Clean, Flexible and Efficient: A Recipe for Energy Optimization
The United States is the second-highest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet — but we are also a leader in technological and economic strength. We have the capability to lead the world in finding solutions to the urgent challenge… View Summary +
Five Suggestions to Promote China Power Sector Transition
Even the casual observer of China during the last thirty years can’t help but be awestruck by the country’s transformation—across all sectors, but especially the power sector, the central infrastructural industry on which economic development depends. What had been a… View Summary +
中国电改将推动低碳愿景成为现实
在过去的三十年中，即使是不曾刻意关注中国的人，也不禁对这个国家的转型感到震惊。这种转型体现在在所有领域，尤其是电力行业，即经济发展所依赖的中央基础设施产业。中国拥有着世界上最大的电力系统，过去时常发生电力短缺，电网投资不足，但现在已成为技术最先进的电力系统。这一成就在全球无与伦比，是中国跃居全球经济前沿的重要原因之一。 特别值得注意的是，电力系统的成就帮助中国在严重的空气质量问题上面取得了进展。虽然在这方面还有许多工作要做，但已取得显著成效。这包括关闭效率最低，污染最严重的发电厂，在新型高效燃煤发电厂上大量投资安装污染排放控制设施。中国实施了越来越严格的空气质量规划，颁布并修订了大气法，这些做法共同要求提高工业和终端能效、可再生能源发展，以此作为改善空气质量的手段。现在中国正在实施自发电行业开始的碳排放交易制度，这将有助于向低排放，低成本的未来能源系统过渡。 这些工作都契合了一个主题，并在2015年3月颁布的电力改革9号文件中得以体现，该文件为电力行业改革提出了全面的愿景，以期实现提高系统可靠性，增加市场机制的效用，保护消费者， 节约能源，减少排放，增加可再生能源和分布式发电的使用，完善治理和监管制度，包括更好地规划和强化机构能力等多个目标。这些都是值得称赞的目标，如果这些目标实现，将会降低电力系统的长期成本及其对环境的影响。 但对于中国或欧美国家来说，“改革正确”绝非易事。改革是一项持续不断的努力，不断成形的过程，是不断变化的环境，不断发展的技术和更迫切的政策要求共同作用的结果，特别是那些处在环境和能源政策交汇之处的领域。中国创造有竞争力的批发电力市场的动力是基于这样一种信念，即竞争将降低成本，推动环境改善，并激励创新。其他地方的经验告诉我们，只有刻意设计市场，才能确保这些目标的实现。… View Summary +
Timing Is Everything: How Smart Rate Design Helps Make Electrification Beneficial
In talking about beneficial electrification, we have emphasized the benefits of various kinds of flexibility. For example, loads that can be scheduled at different times of day without too much inconvenience to the user can be beneficial, because they can… View Summary +
Making China’s Electricity Markets Work for Clean Energy
As part of the Chinese central government’s power sector reform effort, several provinces have been developing electricity markets. The next stage of this undertaking—design and implementation of “spot markets”—could bring many benefits, including system flexibility to support wind and… View Summary +
实施电力现货市场的几点国际经验
为落实中国政府2015年电力改革方案，一些省份一直在致力于发展电力市场。中国国家能源局要求8个试点省区推出“现货市场” ，并要求其中一些省级市场在今年年底开始运营。 改革的下一阶段是设计和实施“现货市场”，据报道这些市场将会包括日前市场和实时市场以及补偿辅助服务的机制。从国际经验的角度来分析现货市场，如果设计得当可以带来许多好处，包括作为经济调度的基础, 支持风能和太阳能发电的系统灵活性，… View Summary +