Full Life Cycle Carbon Emission Accounting of the Power System: A Case Study of a Typical 500 kV Substation

Abstract

Against the backdrop of global efforts in energy conservation and emission reduction, substations, as a crucial platform for the consumption of renewable and clean energy, are constantly expanding in scale. Therefore, the management of their carbon emissions has become particularly important. To track the carbon emission status of various carbon emission sources in large substations, this paper takes a typical 500 kV substation as an example and establishes an evaluation model for the full life cycle carbon emissions of the substation. The research shows that there are obvious differences in the characteristics of carbon emission sources in each stage of the full life cycle of substation projects. In the equipment manufacturing stage, a large amount of carbon emissions are generated due to the input of materials and energy, among which SF₆ gas plays a dominant role. In the decommissioning stage, however, the recycling of materials such as SF₆ generates a large amount of negative carbon emissions. Improving the recycling efficiency of materials like SF₆ can effectively reduce carbon emissions. The proportion of actually consumed SF₆ during the operation and maintenance stage in the full life cycle is the highest, reaching 52.4%. Scientifically managing and monitoring SF₆ gas and reducing its leakage rate will help significantly reduce the full life cycle carbon emissions of substation projects. Actively addressing global climate challenges is the responsibility of a major country. The construction of the carbon emission accounting model for substation projects provides a theoretical basis for the country to formulate scientific and reasonable emission reduction targets and policies, and promotes the transformation of power enterprises towards clean energy and the improvement of energy utilization efficiency.

Keywords

carbon emissions / full life cycle / SF6 / substation

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2025 The Author(s). Carbon Neutralization published by Wenzhou University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.