China Energy Technology Program (CETP)

Objective of the Program
The Objective of the China Energy Technology Program (CETP) was to develop a globally applicable methodology for analyzing the "true" cradle-to-grave impact of electric power generation. It took account of energy technologies and their environmental impact, and uses China as a case study focusing on Shandong Province for detailed examination. Some tasks also address all of China and the whole energy sector. However, the methodology should be sufficiently general to be applicable to other provinces in China and other countries.

Why China?
China is the most populous country in the world with 20% of the world's inhabitants. China is expanding its industry and infrastructure rapidly. With an installed power in excess of 300 GW in 2000 the growth rate is on the order of 5% annually. The main fuel of China is coal. The question arises how one should provide electricity in the future, with the least or no damage to nature and the people of the land. This was the question posed in the China Energy Technology Program (CETP).

Why Shandong?
In order to carry out the study within a reasonable timeframe, one region of China - Shandong Province - was selected for detailed examination. This province was chosen because of the following factors: its independent grid, strong economic growth, diversified energy supply and data availability.

Program Characteristics
Multi-Disciplinary & Methodology
Combining several academic disciplines, involving specialists from energy systems & modeling, economics, risk & environment.

Multi-Institution
Western and Chinese researchers cooperated on several tasks addressing the core questions of modeling future electric sector performance under different perspectives. The analysts brought a wealth of backgrounds and perspectives to the study.

Multi-Stakeholder
By assembling as diverse a group of Chinese stakeholders as possible, CETP addressed a range of issues that concern energy decision-making for sustainable development in China, and used their input to interpret and rank results for their use.

Integration
The CETP framework has succeeded in integrating analysis of the complete electricity chain, including demand, supply, direct and indirect environmental burdens, health impacts and accident risks This includes not just modeling the future mix of electricity supply, but also life cycle analysis of generation technology chains, detailed analysis of major environmental externalities and risks, creation of the associated datasets required, and developing a wide range of specific tools, including custom software and this CD/DVD for project presentation and exploration.

Components of the Program
The CETP is divided into 12 Tasks. The interrelationship of the research tasks are visualized in the flowchart shown in Figure 2. The four distinctive features of the Program’s approach were:

  • An integrated methodology involving databases, knowledge bases, and simulation methodologies, covering electric sector supply and demand options, under sustainable and economic driving forces, with technology assessment;
  • Development and use of specialized databases and models based on life cycle assessment, health and safety/risk assessment, economic and social factors, environmental impacts, legal and institutional considerations, technology assessment and operational data;
  • Improved use of decision-support techniques, such as Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis; and
  • Enlistment of stakeholders in active participation in the decision-making process and in the development of the attributes and energy/electricity mix scenarios.

The objective of the research program was to identify robust portfolio of innovative energy options to assist the decision-making process among stakeholders over the next 20 to 30 years. The research tasks were designed to inform Chinese stakeholders (e.g., the State Power Corporation of China, Shandong Electric Power Group Corporation, State Environmental Protection Administration, and provincial government, among others) of the relative costs and environmental performance of alternative options for “electricity infrastructure management”.

Hirschberg S., Burgherr P., Spiekerman G., Cazzoli E., Vitazek J. & Cheng L. (2003). Comparative Assessment of Severe Accidents in the Chinese Energy Sector - China Energy Technology Program. PSI Report No. 03-04, Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
Eliasson, B.; Lee, Y. (Eds.) (2003) Integrated Assessment of Sustainable Energy Systems in China. The China Energy Technology Program. A Framework for Decision Support in the Electric Sector of Shandong Province. Series: Alliance for Global Sustainability Bookseries, Vol. 4, 848 p., Springer

Project details

Duration: 1999-2003
Funding:

Researchers

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