Wu, X;
Li, C;
Shao, L;
Meng, J;
Zhang, L;
Chen, G;
(2021)
Is solar power renewable and carbon-neutral: Evidence from a pilot solar tower plant in China under a systems view.
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
, 138
, Article 110655. 10.1016/j.rser.2020.110655.
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Abstract
Solar power has been widely treated as renewable and carbon-neutral for being free of fossil resource inputs and causing no carbon emissions. Recent studies, however, qualitatively challenged the traditional thinking derived under a local-realism-based perspective. In response to the recent concerns, this study as a continuation of a previous work offers a systems view into comprehending the ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon-neutral’ characters of solar power by the case of a Chinese pilot solar power plant. Under the systems view, a solar power plant is positioned as an organic system fed by ‘nutrients’ from the macro economy that relies on exogenous non-renewable energy resources as environmental support. A quantitative framework for evaluating the renewability and carbon-neutrality of solar power systems is proposed. A package of indicators is also devised, together with a retrospect of the history of methodological development. The non-renewable energy cost is revealed to be in magnitude 1.6 times as much as the electricity produced and the carbon emissions induced are also shown to be remarkable, implying that solar power is not as renewable and carbon-neutral as generally perceived. In contrast to coal-based power, however, solar power still appears as a promising alternative: the non-renewable energy cost and carbon emission for per unit of electricity delivered are revealed as 55% and 64% of that by the reference coal-fired power generation system in China, respectively. The outcome of this work provides a well-adapted assessment framework and adds insights into the intuitive understanding of renewable-based electricity.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Is solar power renewable and carbon-neutral: Evidence from a pilot solar tower plant in China under a systems view |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.rser.2020.110655 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110655 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Solar power, Systems view, Local-realism-based perspective, Renewability, Carbon-neutrality |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10118664 |
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