The low-carbon transformation of power sector is significant for achieving the goal of carbon peak and carbon neutrality in China. Based on the evaluation of power carbon budget, three power transformation scenarios of deep low-carbon, zero carbon, and negative carbon were built, the key boundary conditions such as power consumption demand were studied, and a path planning optimization model was established in the paper. Using the GESP-V software package for optimized analysis, the low-carbon transformation paths were determined for power structure, power carbon emissions, and power supply costs under different scenarios. The major issues that are critical for the low-carbon transformation of the power system were discussed, including coal power development, renewable energy development and utilization, diversified supply of clean energy, and electric power balance. Several suggestions were further proposed. Specifically, the top-level design should be strengthened to steadily plan the transformation pace, major low-carbon technologies should be developed to coordinate the overall technology and industrial layout, and the market mechanism with balanced interests should be improved while establishing a green finance policy system. The high-quality low-carbon transformation of China’s power sector in the medium and long term can be promoted through the coordination of policies, technologies, and mechanisms.
Peaking carbon dioxide emissions and achieving carbon neutrality is a major strategic decision taken by China and it brings significant pressure and challenges to the transport sector. Peaking carbon emissions is an important direction for the highquality development and green transformation of the transport sector. This study analyzes the status quo of green development and carbon emission in China’s transport sector and identifies the challenges for achieving the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals in the transport sector. The overall idea is to peak carbon emissions actively and steadily by implementing categorized policies, combining short- and long-term goals, controlling carbon emission increment, and adjusting the current emission structure. An overall path for carbon reduction in the transport sector at different stages is proposed. Furthermore, we summarize several key measures to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality in the transport sector: (1) optimizing the transport structure, (2) promoting the energy efficiency of transport equipment, (3) popularizing low-carbon transport equipment, (4) improving the traffic organizing efficiency, and (5) encouraging low-carbon travel modes.
Developed countries have reduced their carbon emission intensity by adjusting industrial structure, which is an important reference for China to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutralization. In this article, we analyze the changes of total carbon emission, carbon emission per capita, carbon emission intensity, and industrial structure in major developed countries, thus to obtain their experience regarding adjusting industrial structure and reducing carbon emission intensity. Developed countries have generally decoupled economic growth and carbon emissions since 1965 via industrial transfer, scientific and technological innovation, and service industry upgrading; however, a manufacturing hollowing problem emerged. Considering the unfinished industrialization process in China and the large proportion of high energy-consuming industries, we suggest that China cultivates emerging industries and develops digital economy to optimize and upgrade its industrial structure. Additionally, it should further strengthen the manufacturing industry and coordinate industrial transfer in China and abroad while ensuring the security of industrial and supply chains, thereby optimizing the spatial layout of industries and forming a new development pattern.
Natural gas is a stable and flexible low-carbon fossil energy. It has comparative advantages on both supply and consumption sides. It can be used as a transitional energy for constructing a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient new energy system and for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Currently, China’s energy transition has many scheme designs. Huge differences exist in the development prospects of natural gas. In this study, we analyze the relationship, challenges, and principles of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Based on these analyses, we study the opportunities for natural gas development in China, explore the comparative advantages of natural gas in key areas such as power generation, transportation, city gas, and industry, and summarize the constraints in terms of terminal prices, infrastructure, pricing mechanism, and development speed. We also propose the development goals and key tasks of China’s natural gas. Finally, five recommendations are proposed for China’s natural gas development under the carbon goals. The first is to strengthen top-level coordination and leadership to clarify the development positioning and ideas of natural gas. The second is to maximize the comparative advantages to promote natural gas consumption. The third is to rationally use domestic and foreign resources to ensure sufficient and reliable supply. The fourth is to promote infrastructure construction to improve the supply efficiency. The fifth is to strengthen the policies and mechanisms for land, finance, taxation.
Co-mining of the deep mineral and geothermal resources is crucial for the sustainable development of deep mining and provides a brand-new technical means for geothermal mining in deep high-temperature strata. In this article, we analyze the important values of the co-mining, introduce the current status of development and utilization of geothermal resources worldwide, and summarize the basic research progress of the co-mining in China. Subsequently, we analyze the technical and management challenges faced by the co-mining and establish a technical system that is urgently required for comprehensive development and utilization, which involves (1) the investigation and prospect judgment of the joint development and utilization of deep mineral and geothermal resources, (2) the excavation and construction of underground tunnels and chambers in high-temperature and hard rock strata, (3) the key theory and technical system of co-construction, coexistence, and sharing of a deep mineral resource exploitation system and a geothermal development system, and (4) the theories and technologies of geothermal energy exchange and transportation in the deep hightemperature strata. Furthermore, development suggestions are proposed in terms of geological exploration, scientific and technological innovation, supporting policies, top-level planning, and scientific research demonstration bases; these aim to provide a reference for the sustainable and high-quality development of the mining and geothermal industries in China.
China has a huge amount of ocean temperature difference energy resources that are primarily distributed in Guangdong Province and the South China Sea. These resources are crucial for optimizing the energy structure of Guangdong Province and for ensuring the energy supply of islands in the South China Sea and along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Currently, the ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technology and equipment are still in the experimental stage worldwide. The construction cost of megawatt-level experimental power stations is huge, and its overall technologies are not mature enough for commercial utilization; therefore, breakthroughs in related technologies and equipment are urgently needed. In this article, we summarize the development mode of OTEC and the challenges faced by related technologies and equipment in China and abroad. We propose a new approach of using low-temperature seawater—produced during the gasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG)—instead of deep seawater to generate electricity; this can help overcome the difficulties regarding the temperature difference energy development in the South China Sea and address the waste of LNG cold energy resources in Guangdong Province. Specifically, we use the Zhuhai LNG gasification station as an example to explore a development model of integrating LNG cold energy recovery with OTEC and the establishment of a low-temperature seawater comprehensive utilization demonstration base. Moreover, we demonstrate the economic and technical feasibility of the model through a preliminary estimate of the investment and revenue of the demonstration base. This case is expected to provide necessary technical references and application demonstrations for the comprehensive utilization of temperature difference energy and low-temperature seawater resources in China.
Building a new electric power system that is based on new energy sources is an important direction for power system transformation and upgrading in China, and it is critical for peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. In this study, we analyze the changes and challenges that are brought by power system transformation and elaborate on the connotation and building principles of a new electric power system. Moreover, we categorize the development of the new system into stages and propose development suggestions for each stage considering the technical features of the system and the new energy access scale. The new electric power system proposed in this study can satisfy the increasing demand for clean power as it primarily uses new energy sources and it has the features of high safety, openness, and adaptability. Building the new electric power system should follow the technical evolution law and characteristics of power systems; it should further exploit the potentials of mature technologies and current power systems. Meanwhile, emerging technologies should be researched and developed.
Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) is an indispensable option for achieving carbon neutrality. This study evaluates the technical development level, demonstration progress, cost effectiveness, and CO2 reduction potential of CCUS in China to review the status of CCUS and identify its future direction of development. The conclusion indicates that China’s deployment of CCUS projects has developed rapidly and is generally at the stage of industrialized demonstration; although the overall development is comparable to international counterparts, some key technologies still lag behind the international advanced level. In terms of industrial demonstration, China already has the engineering capabilities for large-scale projects; however, there remains a gap between China and the advanced countries regarding the scale of demonstration projects, technology integration, off-shore storage, and industrial application. In terms of reduction potential and demand, the theoretical storage capacity of CCUS and the demand for industrial emission reduction in China are huge. However, the onshore storage potentials in different regions are significantly varied when source–sink matching is considered. In terms of cost and benefit, although the current cost of CCUS technology is high, CCUS remains a cost-effective emission-reduction option for achieving carbon neutrality in the future. It is necessary to develop the CCUS technology system, promote full-chain integrated demonstration, accelerate the pipeline network layout and infrastructure construction, and improve the fiscal and tax incentive policies and the legal and regulatory framework.
China is a major country in energy consumption and carbon emission; therefore, it is critical for China to promote an energy saving strategy for realizing carbon peak and neutrality goals. In this study, we summarize the current status and characteristics and analyze the future trend of energy consumption in China, illustrating the significant role of energy saving measures regarding energy development. Subsequently, we build an energy saving potential evaluation model using the input–output method and apply it to the energy intensive industries, transportation, and building industry. In this manner, we evaluate the total energy consumption values and energy saving potentials under the current policy scenario and a scenario that strengthens energy saving measures. The results show that strengthening energy saving is an effective way for reducing energy consumption and peeking carbon emissions in advance. Key measures should include: promoting industrial structure adjustment, accelerating energy structure transformation, developing lowcarbon energy technologies, popularizing energy-saving technologies, reducing the demand for high energy-consuming products, and advocating energy-saving lifestyles. Furthermore, we propose several suggestions, including (1) continuously controlling energy consumption intensity and amount, (2) promoting the low-carbon transformation of energy-intensive and low-value-added industries, (3) strengthening the publicity and innovation of low-carbon energy-saving technologies, (4) improving the energy-saving regulations and standards system, (5) gradually promoting urban renewal and zero-waste construction, and (6) encouraging education to promote energy-saving awareness.
Distributed photovoltaic is a typical type of clean energy and has the characteristics of small investment and fast construction. Distributed photovoltaic power can address the power consumption problem in rural areas with energy shortage and industrial areas with high load densities. Building roofs are important carriers for distributed photovoltaic facilities and thus directly related to the construction potential of distributed photovoltaic. Therefore, monitoring and analyzing the spatial distribution of buildings in China has an important reference value for the planning and construction of distributed photovoltaic. In this research, we use 2 m-resolution satellite remote-sensing images as the data source and extract the building zones in China using the deep learning technology. The areas of building roofs in typical regions are calculated according to the proportion coefficients of these regions. Subsequently, we analyze the spatial characteristics of the building roofs in China and the distribution pattern for construction potentials of distributed photovoltaic. Based on this, we propose some suggestions for the construction path of distributed photovoltaic in different areas considering the spatial distribution of population. The research shows that the accuracy of building extraction by remote sensing was 81.63%, which can satisfy subsequent data analysis requirement. Approximately 1.4×104 km2 of building roofs in China have the potential to develop distributed photovoltaic. We suggest that distributed photovoltaic should be developed hierarchically following the principle of local power generation and local consumption. The provinces in China can be categorized into four echelons and the construction should start from the east part of China that is densely-populated and has great potentials for distributed photovoltaic development. Moreover, it is necessary to establish a nation-wide dynamic monitoring mechanism for distributed photovoltaic construction based on satellite remote sensing, thereby supporting the dynamic update of the distributed photovoltaic planning path.
Most developed countries have reached their carbon emissions peak and entered a period of rapid decline in emissions. These countries have introduced active measures in efforts to achieve carbon neutrality while occupying a dominant position in emerging industries. This article aims to sort out the policies and mechanisms in the process of achieving carbon peaks, promoting carbon neutrality, and promoting social consensus in developed countries, so as to provide reference for China’s carbon peaks and carbon neutrality. By reviewing the experiences of different developed countries, this study compares and analyzes their lessons, summarizes the inspirations that developed countries have brought to us in terms of carbon neutral policy mechanisms, and provides suggestions for China’s path to carbon neutrality. International experience shows that carbon neutrality is a systematic project that requires multiple measures and orderly progress. While reducing transformation costs, it is necessary to accelerate the cultivation of emerging industries; the realization of the carbon neutrality vision requires a sound market mechanism to accelerate the energy market reform; carbon neutrality is not only a transformation of energy and economy, it will also bring changes to individuals’ lifestyles. Therefore, the general social consensus is an important guarantee for the successful realization of carbon neutrality. The research suggests that in order to achieve China’s carbon neutrality goals, we must do a good job of top-level design and a step-by-step action plan of carbon emission reduction; accelerate and deepen energy market reforms; raise social awareness and promote people’s overall consensus on carbon neutrality; and continue to deepen international cooperation.
As the construction of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area enters a new stage, it is necessary to further improve technological innovation and emerging industries of this area and promote its global influence to support the high-quality development of China’s industries. In this study, we analyze the role of this area in the national economic development and explore the development status of technological innovation and emerging industries in this area. Moreover, we propose strategic goals and key tasks for the medium- and long-term development under the unique institutional framework of “one country, two systems”. The Guangdong– Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area can be built to be a global innovation and industry highland that is open, integrated, and sustainable via four steps by 2050, and a borderless Greater Bay Area can be constructed orderly through integrated technological innovation. The key tasks that we proposed include: (1) strengthening the construction of an international technological innovation center, (2) improving the ability of science and technology to support industrial development, (3) cultivating world-class clusters of emerging industries, (4) creating a gathering place for outstanding professionals in China and abroad, (5) deepening the integration of finance and technology, (6) establishing a diversified investment coordination mechanism for scientific innovation, and (7) exploring an innovation and industrial factor flow mechanism.
The establishment of a modern economic system is the strategic goal for economic prosperity in China, and the national strategic science and technology strength is required to provide strategic support, pioneering thoughts, and sustained input and serve as the primary diver in this process. In this study, we first clarify the significance in enhancing the national strategic science and technology strength to serve economic development. Subsequently, we propose an overall approach to enhancing the national strategic science and technology strength by developing an innovation-driven and coordinated modern industrial system. This aims to reshape the landscape of global industrial competition in the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation and to determine the role that China plays in global economic arena. We then investigate major pathways and specific measures to enhance the national strategic science and technology strength from the following three aspects: (1) improving actors conducting strategic scientific and technological research, (2) building a network of industrial scientific and technological innovation, and (3) playing a strategic support role. In the end, we provide policy recommendations on such aspects as (1) supporting industrial innovation by implementing different strategies, (2) training the personnel embarking on industrial scientific and technological endeavors, (3) optimizing the environment for industrial innovation, (4) strengthening the support from financial capital market, and (5) developing a professional scientific and technological service system.
China has established three series of remote sensing satellite systems for land, ocean, and atmosphere through the establishment of a high-resolution Earth observation system and the implementation of national civil space infrastructure planning. However, the current systems in China neglect data application and data services while emphasizing satellite engineering. Considering the future requirements of Earth observation for high quality, high benefit, and high efficiency, we adopt an effectiveness analysis method to study the Earth observation systems. We clarify the global development trends of Earth observation satellite systems and summarize the current status in China. Based on this, we analyze the demand and challenges for an effectiveness-oriented Earth-observation system and propose the development goals, components, and key tasks of the new-generation Earth-observation system that features system effectiveness. To improve the application service system and capabilities of China’s remote sensing satellites and to transform the orientation from business services to system effectiveness, it is necessary to build a space–ground integrated perception backbone network as well as management and data transmission tool networks based on top-level design with the High Resolution Earth Eye Program as the core, and implement major application demonstration projects. Moreover, national spectral data sources, quantitative application databases, and industrial ecology cloud platforms need to be strengthened, thereby transforming satellite engineering toward satellite application engineering and constructing a complete national civil space infrastructure.
China’s science and technology support system has played a significant role in fighting public health emergencies. In this study, we summarize the construction status of China’s science and technology support system for emergencies from the aspects of (1) layout of scientific research bases and platforms, (2) application of big data technology, (3) science and technology investment in public health, and (4) transformation of scientific and technological achievements. Subsequently, we analyze the challenges for the construction of the support system in China in comparison with developed countries that are advanced regarding medical science and technology. To solve the problems of weak foundation of basic medical research and lack of key core technologies, we suggest to strengthen the synergy of universities, medical institutions, and science and technology enterprises. This will improve China’s basic medical research ability and promote the research and development of original pharmaceutical products and diagnostic reagents. In view of the lack of bases and platform facilities in China, we suggest to strengthen the construction of national biological resource sample centers and build self-supported data and information sharing platforms. As for insufficient investment in public health and an imperfect personnel system, we suggest to enhance the leading role of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, increase the input of public health, and improve the personnel evaluation, reserve, and training mechanisms.
Standards digitization is the inevitable result of economic and social development, digital technology change, and international strategic game. It is the key to realize the digital transformation of National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) and has strategic significance for the construction of Digital China. This study reviews the demands of standards digitization and the research and practice of standardization organizations and key countries. The future development trends of standards digitization are analyzed in depth from the aspects of performance form, development mode, and social influence. Furthermore, it puts forward several suggestions for the standards digitization in China considering these trends. Specifically, a standards digital transformation organization should be established to improve the working mechanism, generic and key technologies need to be developed to lay a science and technology foundation for standards digitization, the pilot scope should be expanded to cultivate an industrial ecology, and international cooperation and exchanges should be encourage to integrate China into the global wave of standards digitization.
Polylactic acid, a typical carbon-neutral, renewable, and biodegradable polymer, has been gradually developing as a kind of fundamental bulk raw material required for national economic and social development. The industrial chain of polylactic acid materials is composed of bio-manufacturing of lactic acid monomer; chemical polymerization of lactic acid monomer; modification, processing, and molding of lactic acid; product manufacturing; quality control and environmental release management of lactic acid materials. It is a new industry section collected with the latest technical achievements in bio-fermentation industry, chemical industry, polymer material industry, and modern management. Based on a comparative analysis of the status quo of technology research and industry development of polylactic acid materials in China and abroad, following aspects focusing on the problems and countermeasures in the development of China’s polylactic acid material industry were discussed and proposed: the diversity and safety balance of raw materials supply, manufacturing technology and equipment, product diversity and key development areas of the industrial chain, quality control system and environmental release management and evaluation system, policy support and guidance. This study can provide references for polylactic acid technique evolution, application expansion, and industrial development.
Self-driving vehicle is a hot application of artificial intelligence, and the identification and measurement of its safety risks has become an urgent research topic in the field of artificial intelligence safety. In this study, we collect qualitative information through case interviews and identify the key elements of safety risks using the qualitative research method and the grounded theory. Further, we propose for the first time a six-element frame for the safety risks of self-driving vehicle. These elements include single vehicle safety, networking safety, technological level, legal policies, public opinion, and industrial risks. Subsequently, we design a questionnaire and conduct two online questionnaires surveys to measure the safety risk elements. To cope with future safety risks of self-driving vehicle, enterprises should strengthen the research and manufacturing of key components, increase investment in information security, participate in the formulation of industry standards and regulations, and maintain a sustainable development. The government should strengthen the supervision over self-driving vehicle tests, improve regulations and standards, and guide talent training. Consumers should keep good driving habits and maintain rational regarding self-driving vehicle.
Cultured meat is a new type of meat product that is produced by ex vivo culture of animal cells instead of breeding and slaughtering animals; therefore, it is considered the most promising way to solve problems caused by traditional livestock production such as resource consumption, environmental pollution, and public health issues. This study analyzed cultured meat with focus on its production process, key technologies, international development trend, and issues of China’s cultured meat industry, thereby proposing suggestions for the development of cultured meat technology in China. The production of cultured meat requires the integration of advanced technologies in multi-disciplinary fields including cell biology, tissue engineering, fermentation engineering, and food engineering. The development of global cultured meat technology is in its infancy and rising stages. Although industry-leading companies have achieved technological integration and industrialization demonstrations, the industrial production of cultured meat has not yet been realized and various key technological bottlenecks need to be broken. It was concluded that in China, the cultured meat industry starts late and its technological development faces problems such as weak research foundation, single research ideas, and slow industrialization process. In the future, China should increase policy and financial support for related basic research, strengthen interdisciplinary exchanges and school–enterprise cooperation, and pay more attention to the acceptance as well as taste and nutrition needs of consumers.