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1 – 10 of over 2000
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 5 April 2023

Shan Chen, Yuandi Wang, Hongping Du and Zhiyu Cui

Although the tasks of managing carbon peaks and achieving carbon neutrality in China are arduous, they are also of great significance, which highlights China’s determination and…

Abstract

Purpose

Although the tasks of managing carbon peaks and achieving carbon neutrality in China are arduous, they are also of great significance, which highlights China’s determination and courage in dealing with climate change. The power industry is not only a major source of carbon emissions but also an important area for carbon emission reduction. Thus, against the backdrop of carbon neutrality, understanding the development status of China’s power industry guided by the carbon neutrality background is important because it largely determines the completeness of China’s carbon reduction promises to the world. This study aims to review China’s achievements in carbon reduction in the electric industry, its causes and future policy highlights.

Design/methodology/approach

The methods used in this study include descriptive analyses based on official statistics, government documents and reports.

Findings

The research results show that, after years of development, the power industry has achieved positive results in low-carbon provisions and in the electrification of consumption, and carbon emission intensity has continued to decline. Policy initiatives play a key role in this process, including, but not limited to, technology innovations, low-carbon power replacement and supported policies for low-carbon transformation toward low-carbon economies.

Originality/value

This study provides a full picture of China’s power industry against the backdrop of low-carbon development, which could be used as a benchmark for other countries engaging in the same processes. Moreover, a careful review of China’s development status may offer profound implications for policymaking both for China and for other governments across the globe.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 4 August 2022

Shiqian Hu, Dan Li and Xiaodan Wang

To cope with climate change and achieve the dual carbon goal, China has actively promoted the implementation of carbon trading pilot policy, among which the power industry plays…

1012

Abstract

Purpose

To cope with climate change and achieve the dual carbon goal, China has actively promoted the implementation of carbon trading pilot policy, among which the power industry plays an important role in China’s carbon emission reduction work. The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of carbon trading policy on the energy efficiency of power industry and achieve the comprehensive goal of carbon emission reduction, carbon peak and carbon neutralization.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper constructs the difference-in-differences model based on 2012–2019 provincial data to study the impact of carbon trading policy on energy efficiency in the power industry and its effect path. Heterogeneity analysis was conducted to compare the effects of carbon trading policy in eastern, central and western regions as well as at different levels of power structures.

Findings

Carbon trading policy can significantly improve the energy efficiency of the power industry, and the policy effect is more significant in eastern and western regions and areas with high power structure. Mechanism analysis shows that carbon trading policy mainly influences the energy efficiency of power industry by environmental protection investment, power consumption demand and industrial structure.

Originality/value

This paper uses provincial panel data to deeply study the influence of carbon trading policy on energy efficiency of the power industry and its effect path. By constructing the difference-in-differences model, this paper empirically analyzes the governance effect of carbon trading policy. Meanwhile, it controls individual and time effects to solve the endogeneity problem prevalent in previous literature.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 June 2022

Olli Väänänen and Timo Hämäläinen

Minimizing the energy consumption in a wireless sensor node is important for lengthening the lifetime of a battery. Radio transmission is the most energy-consuming task in a…

995

Abstract

Purpose

Minimizing the energy consumption in a wireless sensor node is important for lengthening the lifetime of a battery. Radio transmission is the most energy-consuming task in a wireless sensor node, and by compressing the sensor data in the online mode, it is possible to reduce the number of transmission periods. This study aims to demonstrate that temporal compression methods present an effective method for lengthening the lifetime of a battery-powered wireless sensor node.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the energy consumption of LoRa-based sensor node was evaluated and measured. The experiments were conducted with different LoRaWAN data rate parameters, with and without compression algorithms implemented to compress sensor data in the online mode. The effect of temporal compression algorithms on the overall energy consumption was measured.

Findings

Energy consumption was measured with different LoRaWAN spreading factors. The LoRaWAN transmission energy consumption significantly depends on the spreading factor used. The other significant factors affecting the LoRa-based sensor node energy consumption are the measurement interval and sleep mode current consumption. The results show that temporal compression algorithms are an effective method for reducing the energy consumption of a LoRa sensor node by reducing the number of LoRa transmission periods.

Originality/value

This paper presents with a practical case that it is possible to reduce the overall energy consumption of a wireless sensor node by compressing sensor data in online mode with simple temporal compression algorithms.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 3 November 2022

Ming Yang, Duoxiang Wang, Xiaofeng Chen, Xiaomiao Lei and Linxiang Cao

This study aims to analyse the scientific relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions. Taking the Chinese electric power industry as the empirical research…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the scientific relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions. Taking the Chinese electric power industry as the empirical research object, this study examined the effect of power technological innovation on carbon emissions and proposed policy recommendations for the development of technological innovation in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This study first calculated the energy consumption and carbon emission level of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018. Secondly, this study built an evaluation index system for technological innovation of electric power with six indicators: average utilisation hours of power generation equipment; power consumption rate of power plant; line loss rate; standard coal consumption for power generation; standard coal consumption for power supply; and number of patent applications granted for generation, conversion or distribution of electric power in China. Finally, from a practical point of view, the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions of the Chinese electric power industry from 2005 to 2018 is evaluated and analysed.

Findings

Power technology innovation has been found to have a long-term and relatively large effect on carbon emissions, and carbon emissions have a short-term and insignificant impact on power technology innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study puts forward relevant suggestions for developing technological innovation and technology transfer, which is essential to establishing a low-carbon or zero-carbon power system in China.

Practical implications

This study provides empirical evidence for clarifying the relationship between technological innovation and carbon emissions in the power industry and further develops research theories on technological innovation and carbon emissions.

Social implications

Relevant authorities will adopt measures to promote technological innovation and development in the power sector to reduce carbon emissions.

Originality/value

This study built an evaluation index system with six indicators for technological innovation of electric power. The evaluation method was used to measure the technological innovation level of the Chinese electric power industry. The causal link between technological innovation and carbon emissions in China was analysed.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 9 December 2022

Pinjie Xie, Baolin Sun, Li Liu, Yuwen Xie, Fan Yang and Rong Zhang

To cope with the severe situation of the global climate, China proposed the “30 60” dual-carbon strategic goal. Based on this background, the purpose of this paper is to…

Abstract

Purpose

To cope with the severe situation of the global climate, China proposed the “30 60” dual-carbon strategic goal. Based on this background, the purpose of this paper is to investigate scientifically and reasonably the interprovincial pattern of China’s power carbon emission intensity and further explore the causes of differences on this basis.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the principle of “shared but differentiated responsibilities,” this study measures the carbon emissions within the power industry from 1997 to 2019 scientifically, via the panel data of 30 provinces in China. The power carbon emission intensity is chosen as the indicator. Using the Dagum Gini coefficient to explore regional differences and their causes.

Findings

The results of this paper show that, first, China’s carbon emission intensity from the power industry overall is significantly different. From the perspective of geospatial distribution, the three regions have unbalanced characteristics. Second, according to the decomposition results of the Gini coefficient, the overall difference in power carbon emission intensity is generally expanding. The geospatial and economic development levels are examined separately. The gaps between the eastern and economically developed regions are the smallest, and the regional differences are the source of the overall disparity.

Research limitations/implications

Further exploring the causes of differences on this basis is crucial for relevant departments to formulate differentiated energy conservation and emission reduction policies. This study provides direction for analyzing the green and low carbon development of China’s power industry.

Practical implications

As an economic indicator of green and low-carbon development, CO2 intensity of power industry can directly reflect the dependence of economic growth on the high emission of electricity and energy. and further exploring the causes of differences on this basis is crucial for relevant departments to formulate differentiated energy conservation and emission reduction policies.

Social implications

For a long time, with the rapid economic development, resulting in the unresolved contradiction between low energy efficiency and high carbon emissions. To this end, scientifically and reasonably investigating the interprovincial pattern of China’s power carbon emission intensity, and further exploring the causes of differences on this basis, is crucial for relevant departments to formulate differentiated energy conservation and emission reduction policies.

Originality/value

Third, considering the influence of spatial factors on the convergence of power carbon emission intensity, a variety of different spatial weight matrices are selected. Based on the β-convergence theory from both absolute and conditional perspectives, we dig deeper into the spatial convergence of electricity carbon emission intensity across the country and the three regions.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

James Caporaso

Trade relations between China and the USA have been marked by conflict, especially since China’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). These conflicts have been…

Abstract

Purpose

Trade relations between China and the USA have been marked by conflict, especially since China’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). These conflicts have been analyzed from a variety of perspectives, including the loss of jobs in the USA due to Chinese imports, competition in high technology sectors and the balance of trade. Conceptual frameworks have employed models of domestic differences as well as models of international power distribution. Among domestic differences examined are the existence of state-owned enterprises in China compared to the domination of the USA economy by private firms, the large role of the Communist Party in China and the influence of labor and environmental and labor groups in the USA. Power distribution theories focus on the systemic effects of the distribution of power on trade openness and on the pattern of intra-bloc versus between-bloc trade. This paper aims to examine the role of macroeconomic policy factors in China and the USA, in particular, the role of national patterns of savings, investment and consumption (both private and government). The paper concludes that insofar as the balance of trade is an important component of the trade conflict, domestic macroeconomic factors continue to be important. The resolution of the conflict will have to take into account the respective macroeconomic policies of China and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The design is an analytic case study of US–China trade relations with a particular focus on the balance of trade. The conceptual framework employed involves an analysis of macroeconomic policy categories, especially the overall pattern of savings (household, firm and government), investment and consumption. Process tracing over time since China's membership in the WTO is carried out with an eye toward the relationship between the balance of trade and macroeconomic policy.

Findings

The main findings are that there is a strong relation between the respective macroeconomic policies of the USA and China and their trade relations. The domestic political economy of the USA encourages consumption and a low rate of savings. The opposite is true of China where household income is low by design and national savings are high. China depends on the USA to consume what is not consumed domestically. The USA depends on Chinese imports for additional consumption encouraged by its low rate of savings. The two economies are locked in a mutual dependence.

Research limitations/implications

Key research implications are that there should be more focus on domestic macroeconomic policies since these are the root causes of the trade imbalance. This is not to say that trade frictions centering on jobs, subsidies and competition in high technology are unimportant. However, without the resolution of differences in the management of macroeconomic policies, trade conflicts between the USA and China will continue.

Practical implications

Practical implications are huge, in some ways much more important than the academic implications. Macroeconomic policy differences in savings, investment, government spending, taxation and infrastructure are important. Furthermore, there are available tools in both China and the USA to manage the macroeconomy, particularly, monetary and fiscal policy.

Social implications

One implication of this paper is that satisfaction or dissatisfaction of workers is dependent on income distribution which in turn affects trade. Treatment of people in different socioeconomic categories, such as the elderly, the young, and those at working age are a function of macroeconomic policies.

Originality/value

Many people have written about macroeconomics. It is a conventional subfield of economics. The originality of this paper lies in its advocacy of a shift of focus and attention and in the argument that traditional macroeconomics is related to trade. Despite its importance, macroeconomics has not been the center of attention for most political scientists, though economists have made it more central.

Details

International Trade, Politics and Development, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2586-3932

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 27 July 2022

Huaihua Zheng

Striving to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality before 2060 indicates that China, as the most extensive power system in the world and a country based on coal power, is…

Abstract

Purpose

Striving to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality before 2060 indicates that China, as the most extensive power system in the world and a country based on coal power, is imperative to improve the technical level of electric power utilization. This paper aims to explore the nonlinear evolution mechanism of power technology progress under the constraints of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions in China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper, first, based on China’s provincial panel data from 2000 to 2019, uses global direction distance function to measure power technological progress. Second, the threshold regression model is used to explore the nonlinear relationship between carbon emission reduction constraints on electric power technological progress.

Findings

There is a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between China’s provincial carbon emission reduction constraints and electric power technological progress. Meanwhile, the scale of regional economic development has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between carbon emission reduction constraints and power technological progress.

Research limitations/implications

This paper puts forward targeted suggestions for perfecting regional carbon emission reduction policy and improving electric power technological progress.

Originality/value

Based on the global directional distance function, this paper extracts power as a production factor in total factor productivity and calculates the total factor electric power technological progress. This paper objectively reveals the influence mechanism of carbon emission reduction constraints on electric power technology progress based on the threshold regression model.

Details

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, vol. 15 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-8692

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 August 2022

Li Ji, Yiwei Zhang, Ruifeng Shi, Limin Jia and Xin Zhang

Green energy as a transportation supply trend is irreversible. In this paper, a highway energy supply system (HESS) evolution model is proposed to provide highway transportation…

Abstract

Purpose

Green energy as a transportation supply trend is irreversible. In this paper, a highway energy supply system (HESS) evolution model is proposed to provide highway transportation vehicles and service facilities with a clean electricity supply and form a new model of a source-grid-load-storage-charge synergistic highway-PV-WT integrated system (HPWIS). This paper aims to improve the flexibility index of highways and increase CO2 emission reduction of highways.

Design/methodology/approach

To maximize the integration potential, a new energy-generation, storage and information-integration station is established with a dynamic master–slave game model. The flexibility index is defined to evaluate the system ability to manage random fluctuations in power generation and load levels. Moreover, CO2 emission reduction is also quantified. Finally, the Lianhuo Expressway is taken as an example to calculate emission reduction and flexibility.

Findings

The results show that through the application of the scheduling strategy to the HPWIS, the flexibility index of the Lianhuo Expressway increased by 29.17%, promoting a corresponding decrease in CO2 emissions.

Originality/value

This paper proposed a new model to capture the evolution of the HESS, which provides highway transportation vehicles and service facilities with a clean electricity supply and achieves energy transfer aided by an energy storage system, thus forming a new model of a transportation energy system with source-grid-load-storage-charge synergy. An evaluation method is proposed to improve the air quality index through the coordination of new energy generation and environmental conditions, and dynamic configuration and dispatch are achieved with the master–slave game model.

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 April 2020

Ilkka Ruostetsaari

The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of citizens’ support for two rival and opposing conceptions of political involvement, political consumerism and stealth democracy…

2084

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the effects of citizens’ support for two rival and opposing conceptions of political involvement, political consumerism and stealth democracy, on their attitudes about demand response (flexible consumption) and prosumerism (self-production) in the context of making of Finnish energy policy. Stealth democracy represents an established view on the role of citizens in energy policy making: the energy sector has traditionally been presented as a technocratic domain reserved for experts and businessmen. By contrast, political consumerism can be seen as an expression of “energy democracy”.

Design/methodology/approach

The data is based on a postal survey and an internet survey that were conducted in 2016 among a random sample representing Finns who were between 18 and 75 years. The dependence of the support for demand response and prosumerism on the endorsement of political consumerism and stealth democracy will be tested statistically (Pearson chi-square).

Findings

The endorsement of demand response mainly depended statistically on citizens’ attitudes towards political consumerism and stealth democracy. However, comparing electricity prices and changing electricity suppliers did not depend on adherence to political consumerism and stealth democracy. Nevertheless, in these cases, support was higher among the supporters of political consumerism than among supporters of stealth democracy. By contrast, the endorsement of prosumerism, for instance, in terms of factors that influence citizens’ decisions to invest in electricity generation in their households, depended statistically on citizens’ attitudes on political consumerism and stealth democracy.

Research limitations/implications

It might be that the variables used in this study to measure stealth democracy are not specific enough. More generally, Finns’ willingness to support for stealth democracy may be based on or at least encouraged by the misunderstandings of democratic politics: more information is needed on the level of knowledge that citizens have about normative principles of democratic decision-making processes.

Practical implications

The implication of this study for energy policy making is that there are (at least in Finland) good preconditions for developing a decentralized energy system: citizens are ready to adopt a more active role as energy citizens in terms of demand response and prosumerism – irrespective of their attitudes on macro-level attitudes on governmental institutions. Democratization of the energy system could strengthen the legitimacy of energy policy making.

Social implications

Citizens’ attitudes indicate that their potential for involvement needs to be strengthened in the spirit of energy democracy: the idea of energy democracy needs to be seen in terms of the demand for increased accountability and democratization of the energy sector that was previously not seen as requiring public involvement and was most often depoliticized and dominated by technocrats. However, strengthening energy democracy through demand response and prosumerism is not without its problems: utilization of these devices requires a relatively large amount of resources which depend on the individuals’ socio-economic position. Thus, energy democracy cannot replace but complement electoral participation as a form of energy policy involvement.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study is to fill a part of the research gap linking to ongoing energy transitions. As a socio-technical transition can take place only if citizens support and participate in it, we need to better understand citizens’ attitudes on energy consumption and production and energy policy involvement. Citizens’ attitudes on energy production and consumption are becoming more and more critical for managing the energy sector as a result of that the share of wind power and solar power is increasing in the energy system. In a decentralized energy system, citizens have to be prepared to change their modes of operation. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the originality of this study is to test the impact of citizens’ political attitudes on the endorsement of demand response and prosumerism.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 14 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 30 April 2021

Mohamed Abbas and Nasser Otayf

The purpose of this paper is to minimize energy usage by maximizing network life in the creation of applications and protocols

1585

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to minimize energy usage by maximizing network life in the creation of applications and protocols

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a novel methodology for optimum energy consumption in wireless sensor networks. The proposed methodology introduces some protocols and logarithms that effectively contributed to reducing energy consumption in these types of networks.

Findings

The results of that comparison showed the ability of those logarithms and protocols to reduce that energy but in varying proportions. It can be concluded that a significant reduction in energy consumption approximately 50% could be obtained by the proposed methodology.

Originality/value

Here, a novel methodology for optimum energy consumption in wireless sensor networks has been introduced.

Details

Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-2499

Keywords

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