Chi Gao supports RAP’s research and outreach in China, especially on topics such as electricity market design, resource adequacy and renewable energy integration. He works with partner organizations and scholars to advance RAP’s mission.
Gao joined RAP in 2022 after graduating from his master’s program, where he worked with Dr. Michael Davidson and scholars at Tsinghua University on modeling China’s renewable energy pathway for a successful transition toward its 2060 carbon neutrality goal. During his study, Gao also interned with the Southeast Asia program at the Stimson Center, where he worked on issues related to the energy, water and food nexus in the Greater Mekong Subregion using geospatial methods.
Chi Gao earned a master’s degree in Chinese economic and political affairs with a Chinese environment concentration from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California, San Diego. He received groundwork training in the politics of energy systems and a suite of quantitative methods that support energy systems analysis: econometrics, optimization methods for power system planning, and geospatial analysis. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from UC San Diego.
How Chi Gao is Energizing Change
虚拟电厂多维价值激励模型剖析：统一顶层设计与地方需求
自2020年起，虚拟电厂受到了上到中央政府机构、省级政府，下到市级、区级政府的广泛关注。虚拟电厂作为电力系统的“智能管家”迅速崛起，离不开星罗棋布的分布式资源与电网灵活调度需求的紧密契合。然而，尽管理论上虚拟电厂能够聚集这些分布式资源，但受多重掣肘牵制，难以形成合力，仍有很大一部分基于地方需求的电网服务尚未获得充分重视，这类服务可以成为其重要增收来源。这些地方电网服务的特点是由地市级调度解决地市内部分台区、线路的潮流阻塞、电压跌落等问题，或是对各种电力市场中精确的位置信号作出响应。 为虚拟电厂建立可持续的商业模式的关键在于进一步完善虚拟电厂的多维价值激励机制，为虚拟电厂提供的服务进行相应的回报。目前，关于虚拟电厂的主要讨论仍聚焦于自上而下的顶层设计上，因此本文将在这些讨论的基础上，从国际比较和案例分析的角度入手，更详尽地介绍虚拟电厂地方服务的激励机制，以及如何将其纳入虚拟电厂的三个主要收入来源，即零售市场、批发市场和需求侧响应项目。本文将以现行项目架构及电力市场机制为基础，结合美国纽约虚拟电厂补偿机制的实践经验与启示，系统梳理不同收益渠道的现行激励政策，并针对性地提出各环节的优化路径。 作者采访版刊登于《中国能源观察》5月刊。 This report is also available in English. Read More +
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What are you working on that is most crucial to RAP’s mission and why is it crucial?
RAP aims to offer insightful guidance on energy-related matters. A significant portion of my endeavors is dedicated to China's power sector reform. Numerous international best practices remain concealed from audiences within China. The pivotal task, however, lies in articulating these experiences within the framework of Chinese institutions, making them both pertinent and accessible. This approach imparts valuable lessons capable of shedding light on the formidable challenges confronting China's power sector reformers.
What’s your passion outside of RAP/clean energy?
In my most recent personal endeavor, I've embarked on a journey to become a naturalist. The breathtaking natural beauty of Southern California, with its magnificent mountains, has become my hideaway. I'm engaged in an exploration of plants, birds, and geology, immersing myself in the process of learning, sketching, observing a world that brings me solace and joy.
If I were a superhero, my superpower would be transforming myself into a shorebird.