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

Journal Article (2008)
Authors

B.J. Pearce (Stanford University)

Wenying Chen (Tsinghua University)

Yuefeng Yu (Shanghai Jiaotong University)

Lemin Zeng (Guangdong Techno-economic Research and Development Center)

David Victor (Stanford University)

Affiliation
External organisation
To reference this document use:
https://doi.org/10.1109/PES.2008.4596737
More Info
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Publication Year
2008
Language
English
Affiliation
External organisation
Issue number
9
Volume number
36
Pages (from-to)
3286-3299
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1109/PES.2008.4596737

Abstract

There are many uncertainties regarding the future level of natural gas consumption in China. In order to obtain a clear idea of what factors drive fuel consumption choices, we focus on three regions of China: Beijing, Guangdong, and Shanghai. Using an economic optimization model (MARKAL), we consider drivers including the level of sulfur dioxide emissions constraints set by the government, the cost of capital, the price and available supply of natural gas, and the rate of penetration of advanced technology on both supply and demand sides. The results from the model show that setting strict rules for SO 2 emissions will be instrumental in encouraging the use of natural gas, and may also cause some reduction in CO 2 emissions. The currently differentiated cost of capital for various sectors within the Chinese economy, on the other hand, artificially boosts the economics of capitalintensive coal relative to natural gas. This suggests that financial reform could be a lever for encouraging increased gas use.

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