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DOI	10.1016/j.rser.2020.110655
	Is solar power renewable and carbon-neutral: Evidence from a pilot solar tower plant in China under a systems view
	Wu X.; Li C.; Shao L.; Meng J.; Zhang L.; Chen G.
发表日期	2021
ISSN	13640321
卷号	138
英文摘要	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. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
英文关键词	Carbon-neutrality; Local-realism-based perspective; Renewability; Solar power; Systems view
scopus关键词	Carbon; Coal industry; Renewable energy resources; Solar power generation; Carbon neutralities; Coal-fired power generation; Environmental supports; Intuitive understanding; Non-renewable energy; Non-renewable energy resources; Quantitative frameworks; Solar tower plants; Solar power plants
来源期刊	Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/177090
作者单位	School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China; Laboratory of Systems Ecology and Sustainability Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Yenching Academy, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; School of Economics and Management, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China; The Bartlett School of Construction and Project Management, University College London, London, WC1E 7HB, United Kingdom; Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, United Kingdom; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China; Center for Research Excellence in Renewable Energy and Power Systems, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Wu X.,Li C.,Shao L.,et al. Is solar power renewable and carbon-neutral: Evidence from a pilot solar tower plant in China under a systems view[J],2021,138.
APA	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.
MLA	Wu X.,et al."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(2021).