Renewable energy is our way out
2024-06-08 4501"To control haze, it is necessary to control the burning of scattered coal."
China Electric Power News: What do you think are the causes of haze weather? What is the relationship with fossil fuel combustion?
Hao Jiming: It should be said that over 90% comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, including coal and oil.
China Electric Power News: Do you think the haze weather will continue to worsen in the future?
Hao Jiming: The government has promised to reduce the concentration of fine particulate matter PM2.5 in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei region by 25% in 2017. This is a tough battle that must be won, and if it increases, the people will not agree. Nowadays, China's population is increasing and energy consumption is also increasing, which requires the government to take action.
China Electric Power News: How do you view the energy production revolution?
Hao Jiming: If China's energy supply always relies on fossil fuels, especially coal, it will emit a large amount of carbon dioxide and cause environmental pollution, then China's responsibility as a major country cannot be fulfilled. Renewable energy is the way out for future development. The revolution in China's energy production is to move towards renewable energy and green energy.
China Electric Power News: Where do you think traditional energy production methods such as thermal power should go?
Hao Jiming: I think there are three. The first is that thermal power must be cleaned. In the past, our treatment of thermal power plants was mainly focused on single pollutants such as smoke and dust. In the future, we need to treat sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and various heavy metal pollutants to reduce or even eliminate emissions. The second is to improve the efficiency of thermal power by using multi million kilowatt units with large capacity and high parameters.
The third is that the proportion of coal-fired power in China still needs to be increased. The increase I am talking about is the proportion of utilization in coal, trying to control the combustion of loose coal and convert more coal into electricity. Scattered coal combustion is an important source of haze weather, and one ton of loose coal even emits more pollutants than one hundred tons of coal used in power plants. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to control it.
China Electric Power News: Will this lead to an increase in the proportion of coal-fired power?
Hao Jiming: No contradiction. Coal power needs to be bundled with other clean energy sources, and the key is to increase the proportion of renewable energy. For example, in order to support the construction of the Three Gorges hydropower project, a few cents per kilowatt hour of electricity was allocated as a subsidy. In the future, we can also use this money to support the development of renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar energy.
"To promote the consumption of renewable energy"
China Electric Power News: How do you understand the energy consumption revolution?
Hao Jiming: Currently, the electricity prices for renewable energy are relatively high, but we hope that large enterprises will subscribe to a certain proportion of renewable energy, not all using cheap thermal power. Therefore, we also need to promote consumption of renewable energy.
China Electric Power News: What are your thoughts on changing personal consumption?
Hao Jiming: Currently, the per capita carbon dioxide emissions in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are much higher than those in cities such as Tokyo, New York, and Paris. Therefore, China's carbon dioxide reduction cannot only be achieved by shouting slogans, but also by taking concrete actions. The emission of carbon dioxide is closely related to energy, and we cannot learn from the American model. For example, the growth rate of our cars is the fastest in the world, with only 16 million vehicles in the United States each year, and we have reached over 20 million vehicles. The proportion of SUV growth is the highest, so we must sanction our consumption and combine taxation and emissions. In addition, fossil fuel power generation and new energy power generation also need to be linked.
Another issue is that China has a large amount of biomass energy, equivalent to hundreds of millions of tons of standard coal per year. Due to the lack of a way out, our farmers burn their roads, which also affects the environment. Biomass energy is an important component of renewable energy, and it can be converted into gas, oil, and electricity, so we must make full use of it.
China Electric Power News: What role do you think natural gas should play in energy strategy?
Hao Jiming: The world has entered the era of oil and gas, which proves its importance. Recently, we have also signed many big contracts with Russia and the UK. In fact, our biomass, biogas, pharmaceutical factories, alcohol factories, and waste can all be utilized and converted into natural gas, which is often overlooked in our daily lives. Where is the way out for new energy? Mainly wind energy, solar energy, and biomass energy. When wind power is abandoned, it is the matter with the power grid.
China Electric Power News: How do you view the development of the power grid?
Hao Jiming: We are vigorously developing smart grids, but there is still a phenomenon where wind power cannot be connected to the grid. In the future, we still need to combine the grid with energy storage technology, such as electric vehicles, to fully utilize the electricity generated by new energy.
China Electric Power News: How do you view the development of nuclear power?
Hao Jiming: I am not against developing nuclear power. China should actively develop nuclear power, but safety is the top priority. China's coastline is so long that it doesn't necessarily have to develop inland. In addition, we now have a "West East Power Transmission" strategy, and nuclear power along the coast can also be transmitted inland. I think it is still possible for nuclear power to account for 10% to 15% of our energy structure in the future.
"The energy revolution can only be achieved through continuous progress"
China Electric Power News: What do you think marks the success of the energy revolution?
Hao Jiming: There is no success, only constant progress.
China Electric Power News: Do you think there is a suitable proportion in the energy structure?
Hao Jiming: The appropriate proportion is that the proportion of coal in China's overall energy structure should not exceed 50%. This is a result of considering both the environment and sustainable energy development. In fact, our coal resources do not account for a large proportion of the world, and the average amount is even lower. With the current development speed, our coal space is not large anymore. From a long-term perspective, the goal should be to conserve and sustainably utilize coal. Therefore, in the future, our coal consumption should be below 50% of the total energy consumption, renewable energy should reach over 30%, nuclear power should be around 10%, and oil and gas should be around 10%.
China Electric Power News: When do you think this structure will take shape?
Hao Jiming: The key depends on whether China's coal consumption can reach its peak and whether coal production can reach a turning point. In fact, this turning point should have appeared long ago. The growth of coal in China is not a stable curve, especially the growth from 2000 to 2012, which has been an unsustainable trend. China consumes over 20% of the world's energy and only contributes a little over 10% of GDP, which shows how great our potential for energy conservation is. We emphasize the importance of both conservation and development, prioritizing conservation. However, this issue has not been resolved and needs to be vigorously promoted in terms of technology and policies.
China Electric Power News: There are many opinions about coal peak values now, which one do you prefer?
Hao Jiming: The key depends on the government's determination, because the government is the maker of rules. Nowadays, the price of coal resources is the cheapest, so people tend to choose coal more than anything else. In fact, China's coal production capacity is an unscientific one, which satisfies some unreasonable needs.
If energy were used to constrain the production capacity of steel, the current serious surplus would not occur. Environmental problems have arisen, and we need to carry out elimination and demolition again. For example, the current pressure and elimination of steel in Hebei will have an impact on the future economy and employment.
In the past, some local governments pursued GDP or carried out image projects with less consideration for environmental aspects. Now, we have made modifications to the assessment system and need to consider more environmental factors. In addition, a lifelong accountability system should be established to improve the scientific decision-making level of officials and prevent some people from being promoted due to illness.
China Electric Power News: What are the impressive technological or conceptual changes in the energy sector that have left a deep impression on you?
Hao Jiming: I think it's wind energy. Obama's six years as President of the United States were also six years of rapid development of wind energy in the United States. According to statistics from the US Department of Energy, in 2013, wind power generated 4.13% of the total electricity in the United States, making it the fifth largest source of electricity in the country. These electricity sources are sufficient to power 15.5 million households in the United States, almost equivalent to the daily electricity consumption of all residents in seven states.
It is said that Siemens has developed 75 meter long blades that can withstand 20 years of strong winds and various adverse weather conditions. And the cost of wind power has also been greatly reduced. The unit price of wind power has now dropped by about 40% compared to 2009. If we continue at this rate, our energy problem will be solved soon.
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