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RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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February 16, 2015
India Launches Renewable Electricity Roadmap 2030
The Government of India has significantly revised its ambitions for renewable electricity, now aiming for 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, and 40 GW of wind by 2019. This is a huge leap in ambition and puts this fast-growing… View Summary +
February 9, 2015
Energy Efficiency as an Air Quality Strategy: Connecting the Dots Using a Mobile Source Analogy
- Ken Colburn
Every year states invest more than $6 billion in energy efficiency programs, which also improve air quality. Yet, states rarely receive any credit for the resulting emissions reductions! The benefits don’t stop with air quality. Energy efficiency not only reduces… View Summary +
February 5, 2015
Tackling 111(d) Compliance Planning: It’s Not a SIP!
- Christopher James
States asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for flexibility in crafting plans to meet the requirements of the proposed Clean Power Plan (also known as 111(d), after the pertinent section of the Clean Air Act), and EPA listened. EPA’s… View Summary +
January 23, 2015
美国清洁空气法对中国制定大气法的几点启示
- Christopher James
2010年以来中国发布了一系列综合且严厉的措施来改善空气质量,其中国务院于2013年9月颁布的《大气污染防治行动计划》标志着里程碑。这些措施包括制定对区域空气质量达标计划、设定禁煤区,承诺煤炭消费总量控制、重点城市具体污染物减排目标的要求,例如北京,上海和广东。所有338个重点城市和县级以上政府都需要制定空气质量达标计划或者实施2013年后生效的计划。 这些计划的跨度和严格程度空前所有。与中国不同,美国和欧洲从四十年代到七十年代遭受严重污染所困扰的时候,他们每次只针对一个污染物,例如,首先处理烟雾,或者汽车污染,之后酸雨,然后是流动性空气污染。中国迅速的发展同时伴随着公众健康和科学知识的进步,要求在同一时间解决所有的污染从而阻止目前正在发生的对健康和环境的影响进一步恶化。幸运的是,最近的数据显示,结合能效和改善能源消费的多污染物协同治理的方式是具有高成本效益的,特别是和注重终端排放治理的方法对比而言。… View Summary +
January 15, 2015
将可再生能源纳入中国电力体系:技术入门
- Fredrich (Fritz) Kahrl ,
- Wang Xuan
尽管就中国可再生能源存在海量的文献,但人们对中国电力行业基本机构的设置和运行,及其如何构成可再生能源扩展和并网的约束,缺乏足够的了解。本篇文章作为三个技术启蒙读本之一,旨在填补这一空白,文章主要针对电力系统的运作—在电力系统物理限制下匹配电力需求和供应展开论述。 中国电力系统在经济、社会、政治的综合作用下逐渐演变,最终形成了独特的运作机构和运行模式。设计这些机构和运行模式,用于支持主要由重工业需求主导和煤电作为基荷的电力系统。其中许多地方需要做出改变,来接纳充满活力的中国经济日益多元化的需求,并实现政府基于大量可变的风电和太阳能发电的低碳电力供应远景。 本文指出目前电力系统的运行没有达到系统在更高比例风电和太阳能下所需要的灵活性的需求。特别地,年度发电量计划、行政性的负荷控制、跨区和跨省电量交易安排、缺乏透明的调度系统阻碍了可再生能源的有效利用。因此,本文为朝向更具有灵活性的电力系统迈进,提出以下几点建议: 实现省级以及跨省平衡区内更经济的发电机组排序和调度; 建立更符合电力系统需要的辅助服务定义和规则;… View Summary +
December 1, 2014
Minimum Bills: An Effective Alternative to High Customer Charges
- Jim Lazar
One wouldn’t necessarily expect the components of an electric bill to make headlines, but recent decisions in some states have caused controversy. The controversy involves the size of the monthly customer charge applied to residential consumers. Until recently, U.S. regulators… View Summary +
November 12, 2014
中国为电网公司建立新业务模式和实施更多能效敞开大门
- David Crossley ,
- Helen He ,
- Wang Xuan
2014年11月4日,国家发改委下发了《关于深圳市开展输配电价改革试点的通知》(下称《通知》),正式启动我国新一轮输配电价改革试点。这份文件对拥有1千500万人口的深圳市来说,意义非同寻常。深圳将成为中国电网公司转变业务模式的先锋—电网公司将从传统的售电业务模式向支持清洁能源、终端能效和分布式可再生能源迈出重要的一步。 我们期待这样的发展,相信它最终可以帮助中国实现减排,控制电力系统的成本,尤其期待可以将深圳的试点推广到全国,并呈现在新一轮电改方案的蓝图里。很多年来,睿博能源智库连同我们的合作伙伴,… View Summary +
October 16, 2014
Securing the Social License to Transform Power Sector Regulation
I recently participated in a conversation with North American regulation experts organized by University of Calgary professor and former California Energy Commissioner Michal Moore. The topic was the “social license” in energy regulation. What is the social… View Summary +
July 9, 2014
Tackling 111(d): The Proposed Rule is Out, Now What?
- Ken Colburn
June 18th— the date EPA published its proposed rule to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants under section 111(d) of the federal Clean Air Act in the Federal Register—marked the beginning of a new… View Summary +
June 3, 2014
An Electrifying New Business Model
We have a simple theory: a conscious regulatory effort to enable new business models for non-utilities could be a powerful force for change, providing benefits to utilities and producing economic and environmental benefits for consumers. The point is best… View Summary +