The future of natural gas consumption in Beijing,Guangdong and Shanghai: An assessment utilizing MARKAL

Natural gas could possibly become a si0gnificant portion of the future fuel mix in China. However, there is still great uncertainty surrounding the size of this potential market and therefore its impact on the global gas trade. In order to identify some of the important factors that might drive natural gas consumption in key demand areas in China, we focus on three regions: Beijing, Guangdong, and Shanghai. Using the economic optimization model MARKAL, we initially assume that the drivers are government mandates of emissions standards, reform of the Chinese financial structure, the price and available supply of natural gas, and the rate of penetration of advanced power generating and end-use. The results from the model show that the level of natural gas consumption is most sensitive to policy scenarios, which strictly limit SO₂ emissions from power plants. The model also revealed that the low cost of capital for power plants in China boosts the economic viability of capital-intensive coal-fired plants. This suggests that reform within the financial sector could be a lever for encouraging increased natural gas use.     

Carbon charges and natural gas use in China

Substitution of natural gas for coal in China's power sector could significantly reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, but gas-fired power is generally more costly than coal-fired power in China today. This paper explores how carbon charges and carbon sequestration technology might tip the balance in favour of gas. The costs of electricity from new coal-fired and gas-fired power plants in China are compared under various assumptions about fuel costs, exchange rates, carbon dioxide charges, and application of carbon sequestration technology. Under average cost conditions today, gas-fired power is roughly two-thirds more costly than coal-fired power. But with a charge of $20/tonne of carbon dioxide, the costs of gas- and coal-fired power would typically be about equal. Over the longer term, carbon sequestration technology could be economical with a carbon dioxide charge of $22/tonne or more under typical cost conditions, but gas with sequestration would not have a clear cost advantage over coal with sequestration unless the charge exceeded $35/tonne.     

The evolving role of carbon finance in promoting renewable energy development in China

The world is negotiating what the international climate change regime will look like after 2012—the year that current Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets expire—and the future of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is under discussion. Critics claim the scale of reductions that the CDM is driving in the developing world is insufficient from a scientific perspective if we are to avoid dangerous climate change, that the project-by-project crediting process is inefficient, and that the reductions being achieved are not “additional”—meaning they would have happened anyway and thus should not be financially supported. Yet, the efficacy of CDM must be examined in the broader context of carbon mitigation in the developing world and the actions that are taking place. This paper examines the role that the CDM has played in promoting renewable energy development in China in order to assess how international carbon finance can best be used to help promote emissions mitigation in the developing world. It also assesses how several options under consideration for reforming the current structure of the CDM in particular and developing country engagement in general may impact renewable energy development in China in the coming years.     

一种新型空燃比检测方法的初步研究

用离子电流法在一种新型直管道燃烧器中,对预混天然气空气混合气进行燃烧基础特性的测试。通过控制预混压力和空燃比两个参数变化,消除了由于发动机循环变动对燃烧状态和离子电流强度的不稳定影响。分析了空燃比、预混压力变化与离子电流信号的关系,试验研究表明离子电流法可用来检测空燃比,为在发动机上的应用提供了基础性研究。     

Economics of secondary energy from GTL regarding natural gas reserves of Bolivia

This work aims the economics and the viability of Natural Gas Industrialization in Bolivia, by producing secondary fuels like gas to liquid (GTL)-diesel from natural gas (cleaner than the oil by-product), looking for a clean development with that environmentally well energy using this GTL process. Bolivia has resources that could fulfill these secondary energy resources from GTL. It is possible to process 30 MCMpd of gas obtaining profits from the gas and also from the liquid hydrocarbons that are found in it. Then the Bolivian GTL would present the following advantages: it would export diesel and/or gasoline and would not have to import it anymore.; the exportations of GTL-FT would reach 35 Mbpy, acquiring competitive prices; it would increase productive jobs not only due to the GTL itself, but also from secondary economy linked to GTL market; the use of GTL-FT diesel would bring a “cleaner” environment especially in the urban areas; finally, from the macroeconomic perspective, the investment in the plant construction and supporting works would generate a great amount of job offers.     

天然气分布式能源系统及其应用探讨

天然气分布式能源系统近年来日益得到广泛应用,特别是随着国家相关政策的出台,进一步规范和刺激了其应用,开拓了天然气应用的新模式。文中根据天然气分布式能源系统的概念和特点,阐述了工作原理和其应用领域,分析了国内外天然气分布式能源系统的发展现状,针对分布式能源系统的典型应用做了简单介绍,对现阶段发展中需解决的问题也进行了分析,这对于推广和发展分布式能源系统具有重要意义。     

广东天然气市场发展现状与前景

由于具备清洁环保优势,天然气市场发展备受社会各界关注。讨论了天然气市场的消费现状,在分析广东省天然气市场规模及空间分布的基础上,重点从消费规模、客户结构及供应保障3个方面讨论了广东省天然气市场的发展前景,并对天然气市场相关的定价机制、储备调峰和管网建设等关键问题进行思考,为谋划未来天然气市场新格局提供参考。     

Accounting for fuel price risk when comparing renewable to gas-fired generation: the role of forward natural gas prices

Unlike natural gas-fired generation, renewable generation (e.g., from wind, solar, and geothermal power) is largely immune to fuel price risk. If ratepayers are rational and value long-term price stability, then—contrary to common practice—any comparison of the levelized cost of renewable to gas-fired generation should be based on a hedged gas price input, rather than an uncertain gas price forecast. This paper compares natural gas prices that can be locked in through futures, swaps, and physical supply contracts to contemporaneous long-term forecasts of spot gas prices. We find that from 2000 to 2003, forward gas prices for terms of 2–10 years have been considerably higher than most contemporaneous long-term gas price forecasts. This difference is striking, and implies that comparisons between renewable and gas-fired generation based on these forecasts over this period have arguably yielded results that are biased in favor of gas-fired generation.     

Can deployment of renewable energy put downward pressure on natural gas prices?

High and volatile natural gas prices have increasingly led to calls for investments in renewable energy. One line of argument is that deployment of these resources may lead to reductions in the demand for and price of natural gas. Many recent US-based modeling studies have demonstrated that this effect could provide significant consumer savings. In this article we evaluate these studies, and benchmark their findings against economic theory, other modeling results, and a limited empirical literature. We find that many uncertainties remain regarding the absolute magnitude of this effect, and that the reduction in natural gas prices may not represent an increase in aggregate economic wealth. Nonetheless, we conclude that many of the studies of the impact of renewable energy on natural gas prices appear to have represented this effect within reason, given current knowledge. These studies specifically suggest that a 1% reduction in US natural gas demand could lead to long-term average wellhead price reductions of 0.8–2%, and that each megawatt-hour of renewable energy may benefit natural gas consumers to the tune of at least $7.5–20.     

The use of natural gas and geothermal energy in school units. Greece: A case study

The ever-increasing degradation of the environment along with high demands for energy consumption in buildings has prompted many countries to use other energy sources such as natural gas and geothermal energy instead of oil.This study refers to the use of natural gas in school units in Greece. More specifically, it focuses on school units that are connected to the natural gas network and on the economic and environmental benefits arising from this.In this context, the advantages and disadvantages in using natural gas are compared with those resulting from the use of geothermal energy. In areas which have a significant geothermal potential, the choice of geothermal heating and cooling of large school units is the best solution, but this however does not apply to all areas. Clearly, the development of geothermal energy in school units is still in pilot stage.However, the use of natural gas in school units has been rising over the last decade and it has already contributed to some extent towards the reduction of carbon dioxide and towards saving natural resources. Thus, the survey shows clear advantages in using natural gas and in plans to extend its use to other school units.     

Clean energy consumption and economic growth nexus: asymmetric time and frequency domain causality testing in China

ABSTRACT

This article examines the symmetric and asymmetric causal relationships between clean energy consumption and economic growth in time and frequency domains for China. The results of both symmetric and asymmetric causality analysis suggest that clean energy consumption does not cause economic growth. This implies that the level of clean energy consumption in China seems to be optimal and beyond this level, it does not affect the growth level of the country. However, examination of the causality linkage from economic growth to clean energy consumption indicates medium and long-run evidence of a frequency-based symmetric causal relationship. Our asymmetric analysis makes this relation clearer such that only the adverse shocks to economic growth lead to a decline in the clean energy consumption level. This inference is complemented with the estimated causal parameter of 0.13, indicating that a 1% decrease in economic growth results in a 0.13% reduction in the level of clean energy consumption.     

工业锅炉生物质燃烧技术

根据生物质能的特性,讨论了发展工业锅炉生物质能燃烧技术的积极意义,并对工业锅炉利用生物质能的各种可用方法作了简明扼要的介绍。     

分布式发电政策综述

发展分布式能源系统是我国推动能源生产和利用方式变革的重要举措之一。结合国家能源发展"十二五"规划提出的分布式发电重点领域,分别介绍了天然气分布式能源和分布式可再生能源的发展重点和目标,梳理了国家及上海市关于发展天然气分布式能源系统及分布式可再生能源系统的有关政策,最后解读了分布式发电管理暂行办法的具体内容,可供相关机构和企业投资决策参考。     

Regional model of EKC for air pollution: Evidence from the Republic of Korea

This study aims to investigate a relationship between economic development and air pollution at the regional level, and further suggest energy policies for climate change mitigation. The present study examines an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis analyzing annual panel data of 16 metropolitan regions in Korea over a 16-year time period. The analysis results show that there is no one-dominant shape of EKC for SO₂ and NO₂; each region has its own EKC. That is, although we find the potential existence of U-shaped and N-shaped curves, the region-specific coefficients are enormously heterogeneous across regions. For CO, on the other hand, the random coefficient model shows that there is a dominant U-shaped curve across regions. In addition, energy consumption appears to be the most significant variable in explaining air pollution. Based on these results, we assert that environmental policy should consider the different characteristics of each region and type of pollutant.