On the afternoon of April 21, 2022, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. jointly released China’s first power system carbon emission flow analysis platform, and launched China’s first carbon service brand “eCarbon+”. Chen Guoping, Deputy General Manager of State Grid Corporation of China, Wu Aiqin, Deputy Director of Jiangsu Energy Administration, Tang Yifeng, Chairman of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd., and Professor Kang Chongqing, Dean of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics (EEA) of Tsinghua University and President of Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute, attended the press conference. The conference was chaired by Wang Zhiwei, Deputy General Manager of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd.

At the meeting, Deputy General Manager Chen Guoping delivered a speech on behalf of State Grid Corporation of China, and pointed out that the first nationwide panoramic power system carbon emission flow analysis platform released this time is the first step for State Grid to implement the “dual carbon” action plan and refine the carbon emission accounting work of the power system. In the next stage, based on platforms such as the State Grid New Energy Cloud, the State Grid will further carry out in-depth measurement and accounting of indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption. Deputy Director Wu Aiqin delivered a speech on behalf of Jiangsu Energy Bureau, pointing out that the research on carbon emission flow analysis technology and the platform construction will provide decision-making basis for energy structure optimization, related industrial layout, and energy policy formulation. Chairman Tang Yifeng delivered a speech on behalf of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd., pointing out that State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. will further carry out green and low-carbon innovation practices based on this platform. Professor Kang Chongqing gave a keynote report on “Carbon Emission Flow Analysis of New Power System”. Cheng Liang, Director of the Development Department of State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd., introduced the construction background and the next stage of the panoramic power system carbon emission flow analysis platform. Zhang Ning, Associate Professor of Tsinghua University and Director of the Low-Carbon City Energy System Research Institute of Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute, introduced the application prospect of the multi-carbon service brand “ECarbon+” based on the panoramic power system carbon emission flow analysis platform.

In China, regional or provincial average carbon emission factors are now used to calculate indirect carbon emissions from electricity consumption, but with the increase in the proportion of renewable energy generation, there will be more obvious spatial and temporal differences in the carbon emission factors of electricity consumption. For accurate calculation of the carbon emission factors of electricity consumption, Professor Kang Chongqing’s research team proposed the theory of carbon emission flow in 2011. By attaching a “carbon label” to the power flow, the carbon emission source of each kilowatt-hour of electricity of the user is traced. This method can calculate the carbon emission factor of different electricity consumption per kWh of carbon content at different times and regions, and present a real-time and accurate “portrait” of the whole process of carbon emissions in the power system from generation to transmission. At present, the theory of carbon emission flow has received extensive attention at home and abroad.

Since 2021, Tsinghua University, Tsinghua Sichuan Energy Internet Research Institute and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. have developed a panoramic power system carbon analysis platform based on the carbon emission flow theory, and carried out a series of research, analysis and demonstration in the field of electricity carbon emission accounting and analysis. The platform consists of two main functional modules, real-time carbon tracking and integrated carbon analysis. The real-time carbon tracking module is based on the real-time operation data of Jiangsu Power Grid to gather massive grid-wide measurement data with digital professional technologies, dynamically analyze the real-time topology of the power grid and realize minute-level calculation of billions of data relying on the powerful computing power of the data center. Further based on the embedded carbon emission flow algorithm, it supports real-time power flow analysis, electricity carbon measurement and carbon flow tracking analysis of the power grid, and realizes real-time online calculation and analysis of carbon emissions in all links of Jiangsu Power Grid. It calculates the flow and distribution of carbon emissions in different time periods and different regions. The integrated carbon analysis module analyzes the multi-dimensional carbon emission intensity and cumulative emission information of source, network and load based on the calculation results of carbon emission flow.

Panoramic power system carbon emission flow analysis platform

Based on the panoramic carbon emission flow analysis platform of the power system in Jiangsu Province, the joint research team has created China’s first service brand “eCarbon+” for electric power carbon emissions. It provides a one-stop data interface for carbon emission flow data to the outside world. In the future, it can provide the government, enterprises and users with panoramic carbon emission maps, user’s low-carbon demand response, product carbon content certification and other services.

Carbon emission factor prediction service for users’ low-carbon demand response in “eCarbon+”

At the press conference, the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. jointly signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement under the witness of Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission. The two sides will depend on their own strengths, form complementary advantages in production, education and research, focus on cutting-edge technology research in the dual-carbon field and the transformation of innovative achievements, and jointly promote low-carbon technologies for new power systems.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronics of Tsinghua University and State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement

The first application of the power system carbon emission flow analysis platform in Jiangsu provides a large temporal and spatial dimensions for the accounting of indirect carbon emissions from the power system, solves the problem of real-time and accurate analysis of power system carbon emissions, and forms a Chinese solution to indirect carbon emissions accounting. It can provide the data basis and decision-making basis for the government to carry out “dual carbon control”, assist power companies in carbon management, and help users with carbon emission reduction. The relevant results will effectively support the construction of a new power system and promote power system carbon emission reduction.