Renewable Energy Substitution for Coal-Fired Power Plants Offers Pathway to Carbon Neutrality

Strategic Insights -

A team of investigators from North China Electric Power University has published a new report highlighting the potential of renewable energy to replace coal-fired power plants and achieve carbon neutrality. The research suggests that integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) and energy storage can significantly reduce the cost of low-carbon transition and promote a substantial reduction in carbon emissions. A comprehensive assessment approach has been proposed to balance the multi-timescale adequacy and security of the power supply system while ensuring the safe and stable operation during decarbonization.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that replacing coal-fired power plants with VRE and energy storage can reduce the cost of low-carbon transition by 17% and promote a 52% reduction in carbon emissions compared to scenarios without CFPP substitution.
  • A comprehensive evaluation index system has been constructed to provide a reference for striving for the optimal generation and energy storage portfolio under the premise of ensuring the safe and stable operation during decarbonization.
  • The assessment model decouples multi-timescale power and energy balance constraints into short-term power and long-term energy balances to achieve whole timescale power supply adequacy, fully leveraging the synergistic coordination of diverse resources across different timescales.
  • The case studies based on real-world datasets demonstrate that a strategic substitution of VRE and multi-temporal energy storage for CFPPs can achieve a load shedding rate below 0.1% and a 98% VRE accommodation rate.
  • The research concludes that the proposed approach can provide a comprehensive framework for decision-making on VRE and energy storage integration, as well as CFPP phase-out, taking power supply adequacy and frequency security into account.

Statistics:

  • 17% reduction in the cost of low-carbon transition by replacing coal-fired power plants with VRE and energy storage.
  • 52% reduction in carbon emissions by replacing CFPPs with VRE and multi-temporal energy storage.
  • A load shedding rate of below 0.1% achieved through strategic substitution of VRE and energy storage for CFPPs.
  • A VRE accommodation rate of 98% achieved through the proposed assessment approach.

Sources:

  • Evaluating the substitution of coal-fired power plants with renewable energy and multi-temporal energy storage for decarbonization. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems, 2025,168():110716.
  • Research team: Lanyi Wei, North China Electric Power University; Jingyu Liu, Ming Zhou, Zhi Zhang, Bo Yuan, Zhaoyuan Wu.