China Energy Outlook 2020 - Flipbook - Page 161
research directions for future studies of the water-energy nexus. Finally, this study contributes
to the water-energy nexus literature by providing systematic data and policy implications for
China, where data are typically less accessible, as well as providing references for other regions
in the world that are facing similar water and energy use and planning challenges.
Lu, X., Cao, L., Wang, H., Peng, W., Xing, J., Wang, S., Cai, S., Shen, B., Yang, Q., Nielsen, C.P., and
McElroy, M.B., 2019. Gasification of coal and biomass as a net carbon negative power source
for environment-friendly electricity generation in China Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences of the United States of America. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1812239116
Abstract. Realizing the goal of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 2°C by the end of
this century will most likely require deployment of carbon-negative technologies. It is
particularly important that China, as the world’s top carbon emitter, avoids being locked into
carbon-intensive, coal-fired power-generation technologies and undertakes a smooth transition
from high- to negative-carbon electricity production. We focus here on deploying a
combination of coal and biomass energy to produce electricity in China using an integrated
gasification cycle system combined with carbon capture and storage (CBECCS). Such a system
will also reduce air pollutant emissions, thus contributing to China’s near-term goal of
improving air quality. We evaluate the bus-bar electricity-generation prices for CBECCS with
mixing ratios of crop residues varying from 0 to 100%, as well as associated costs for carbon
mitigation and co-benefits for air quality. We find that CBECCS systems employing a crop
residue ratio of 35% could produce electricity with net-zero life-cycle emissions of greenhouse
gases, with a levelized cost of electricity of no more than 9.2 US cents per kilowatt hour. A
carbon price of approximately $52.0 per ton would make CBECCS cost-competitive with
pulverized coal power plants. Therefore, our results provide critical insights for designing a
CBECCS strategy in China to harness near-term air-quality co-benefits while laying the
foundation for achieving negative carbon emissions in the long run.
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