An Accelerated Algorithm of Carbon Emission Factors for Distribution Networks

Abstract With the increasing integration of distributed generation resources such as photovoltaics into distribution networks, the spatiotemporal variability of electricity carbon emission factors has become more pronounced, which cannot be accurately described by traditional average emission factor method. Meanwhile, most existing high-resolution carbon emission factor calculation methods rely on matrix-based centralized carbon flow algorithms, which still face efficiency challenges when applied to large-scale power systems and scenarios such as minute-level real-time monitoring. This paper proposes an accelerated algorithm for calculating the carbon emission factors of distribution networks. Firstly, a node aggregation method is proposed to reduce the system’s node scale. Secondly, a sparse matrix method is applied to optimize the data structure, improving the data reading and writing process, thus promoting the computation speed. Thirdly, a data-driven approach is employed to linearize the coupling model between the carbon emission injection of generation units and carbon emission factor in each node, thus reducing computational complexity. Finally, the proposed methods were validated through IEEE 9-node, IEEE 39-node, and IEEE 118-node systems. The results indicate that the proposed approach can effectively enhance the efficiency of carbon emission factor calculation and provides a solution for real-time carbon emission analysis and monitoring in the power system.