Can China decarbonize the southern power grid by 2060?

Decarbonization of the Southern Power Grid in China is feasible by 2060 but requires converting a large cropland area to support solar and wind energy; expansion of hydropower will impact the transboundary rivers according to a power system optimization model set up for 2020–2060.

What is the digital power grid white paper 2021?

In April 2021,China Southern Power Grid issued the “Digital Power Grid White Paper”, advocating for the digital grid as the optimal framework for accommodating the new type of power system.

Which river basins feed the China Southern power grid (CSPG)?

b The map illustrates the river basins whose hydropower dams feed the China Southern Power Grid (CSPG). These basins are the Mekong, Nujiang, and Red (transboundary) and the Yangtze, Pearl, Qionglei and Southeast Guangxi Coastal river basins (QSGCRB). All riparian countries in which the transboundary basins ow are shown on the map.

How to simulate the long-term development of the CSPG's electricity system?

To simulate the long-term development of the CSPG’s electricity system, we used an open-source power system modeling platform (GridPath) 26, 53.

What percentage of the CSPG generation mix is used by hydropower?

Another hefty fraction of the generation mix (roughly 22%) is accounted for by hydropower, with more than 32 GW deployed by 2060. In other words, 83%, 66%, and 100% of the available (new) capacity for solar, wind, and hydropower is exploited by 2060. Fig. 2: Capacity and generation mix over the period 2020–2060 in the CSPG.

Can CSPG transmission lines be expanded in 2025?

We assume that the capacity of the existing transmission lines could be linearly and cost-optimally expanded from 2025 onward, except for the lines between the CSPG and other provinces in China and the cross-border lines—whose capacity is kept constant across the full planning period.