Research on the Theory of Power System Carbon Emission Flow and Its Application in the Low-carbon -transition

With the establishment of global goals for “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality,” the power sector has emerged as a critical domain for both energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing over ${4 0 \%}$ of China’s total carbon output. This has placed significant emphasis on advancing its low-carbon transition. The theory of carbon emission flow introduces a groundbreaking framework for measuring and monitoring the distribution of carbon emissions within the power system by linking them with power flow dynamics. This study examines the theoretical underpinnings of carbon emission flow calculations and integrates downstream tracking with counter-current tracking methodologies. To demonstrate the practicality of carbon emission flow theory in both static and dynamic contexts, a case study involving the IEEE 33-node system and real corporate electricity consumption data was conducted. The findings reveal that optimizing the network leads to a substantial reduction in total carbon emissions. Moreover, the study explores various application scenarios for carbon emission flow within the power system, such as optimizing low-carbon scheduling, planning distribution networks, and designing demand response mechanisms. These applications provide a strong scientific and technical foundation for enabling the power sector’s low-carbon operations. The insights derived from this research play a crucial role in supporting the decarbonization of the power sector, ultimately contributing to the realization of global carbon neutrality objectives.