Challenges and costs of Power Gridfor Building a New Energy-dominated Power System in China
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The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, set the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by the second half of this century, with over 100 countries committing to carbon neutrality by mid-century. To meet the energy and climate goals, global electricity consumption is projected to increase by 20% more rapidly in the upcoming decade compared to the previous one [2]. By 2050, the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, electric refrigeration, heat pumps, electrolytic hydrogen, and other electrification technologies is expected to further accelerate global electricity demand. The IEA report highlights that meeting the global electricity demand in 2050 would require adding or refurbishing more than 80 million kilometers of power grids by 2040. This figure is equivalent to the total length of the existing global power grids [2]. To maximize clean power consumption and minimize fossil power generation, power system planners have recognized the crucial role of power grids in the energy transition. Major economies are increasing expenditures on upgrading and expanding power grids, including transmission, distribution, and microgrids, and are building smart interconnected power grid systems. China, as the largest CO2 emitter, set the ambitious goal in September 2020 of achieving carbon emissions peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. In response to "Dual Carbon Goals", research results indicate that the scale of cross-provincial power exchange in 2060 will be approximately four times that of 2020 [3]. Building a new energy-dominated power system is key to achieving the carbon neutrality goal for the energy and power sector, and the power grid, as a critical link in power decarbonization, necessitates the study of the challenges and costs of its transition.