Research Article
Open access
Published on 4 September 2024
Download pdf
Xu,Y. (2024).To what extent can solar panels effectively replace coal to generate electricity in China by 2060?.Advances in Engineering Innovation,11,31-40.
Export citation

To what extent can solar panels effectively replace coal to generate electricity in China by 2060?

Yunkai Xu *,1,
  • 1 International Department of Suzhou No. 1 High School

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2977-3903/11/2024100

Abstract

In recent years, due to technological progress, the cost of solar power generation has decreased, and the Chinese government has supported renewable energy technology, solar photovoltaic technology has developed rapidly. This paper discusses the development prospect of solar power generation in China. By analyzing and comparing the advantages and disadvantages of solar power generation and coal power generation in environment, manufacturing, cost and policy, we explore whether solar power generation can replace coal power generation. It focuses on the advantages of solar power generation in terms of environmental impact, the development of solar power generation promoted by the Chinese government's vigorous implementation of sustainable development strategies, and the many limitations of coal in these aspects, reflecting the advantages of solar energy in today's power generation methods. At the same time, it also analyzes the technological progress of solar power generation, the decline of costs, and the challenges of solar panel recycling. Efficiency has always been the most concerned aspect of solar power generation. Studies have found that the use of different materials, the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation is also different. Increased efficiency is also affected by external temperature, humidity, dust, and light. Solar energy also faces many limitations in this regard. Based on these studies, solar energy has great potential as a renewable energy source and has the potential to replace coal power generation on a large scale by 2060. This essay looks at these studies and concludes that there is potential.

Keywords

solar panels, green power, coal power generation

[1]. Max. (2023). Advanced guide: How does coal energy work. Linquip. Retrieved from https://www.linquip.com/blog/how-does-coal-energy-work/#:~:text=1%20A%20machine%20called%20a%20pulverizer%20grinds%20the,energy%20that%20spins%20the%20turbine%20engine.%20More%20items.

[2]. Liu, L., et al. (2010). Solar energy development in China—A review.

[3]. Zhang, Y., et al. (2020). Solar energy potential assessment: A framework to integrate geographic, technological, and economic indices for a potential analysis.

[4]. Yang, Y., et al. (2020). Potential of unsubsidized distributed solar PV to replace coal-fired power plants, and profits classification in Chinese cities.

[5]. Vamvuka, D. (1999). Environmental impacts of coal utilization on the ecosystem.

[6]. Clean Energy Ideas. (2019). Positive environmental impacts of solar energy. Clean Energy Ideas. Retrieved from http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/solar/solar-energy/environmental-impacts-of-solar-energy/#:~:text=Positive%20Environmental%20Impacts%25.

[7]. Prehoda, E. W., et al. (2017). Potential lives saved by replacing coal with solar photovoltaic electricity production in the U.S.

[8]. Hitchin, P. (2018). High-efficiency, low-emissions coal plants: Come HELE or high water. GE Power. Retrieved from https://www.ge.com/power/transform/article.transform.articles.2018.mar.come-hele-or-high-water.

[9]. Church, B., et al. (2023). Solar panel efficiency. Consumer Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.consumeraffairs.com/solar-energy/how-efficient-are-solar-panels.htm.

[10]. Sampaio, P. G. V., et al. (2017). Photovoltaic solar energy: Conceptual framework.

[11]. Dodd, G. (2021). Advances in solar panel technology. University of Sydney. Retrieved from https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2021/05/25/advances-in-solar-technology.html.

[12]. Tur, M. R., et al. (2018). Effect of faults in solar panels on production rate and efficiency.

[13]. Wang, Y., et al. (2014). The economic impact of emission peaking control policies and China's sustainable development.

[14]. Yang, X., et al. (2010). A comprehensive review on the development of sustainable energy strategy and implementation in China.

[15]. Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. (2021). Solar energy can be cheap and reliable across China by 2060.

[16]. Yan, J., et al. (2019). City-level analysis of subsidy-free solar photovoltaic electricity price, profits and grid parity in China.

[17]. Kannan, N., et al. (2016). Solar energy for future world: A review.

[18]. Mittal, M. L., et al. (2014). Decadal emission estimates of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitric oxide emissions from coal burning in electric power generation plants in India.

[19]. Tyagi, V. V., et al. (2013). Progress in solar PV technology: Research and achievement.

[20]. Ramanathan, V., et al. (2009). Air pollution, greenhouse gases and climate change: Global and regional perspectives.

[21]. Wu, X., et al. (2021). Is solar power renewable and carbon-neutral: Evidence from a pilot solar tower plant in China under a systems view.

[22]. Millstein, D., et al. (2017). The climate and air-quality benefits of wind and solar power in the United States.

[23]. Ritchie, H. (2022). How does the land use of different electricity sources compare? Our World in Data. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-per-energy-source.

[24]. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). (n.d.). Land use & solar development. Retrieved from https://www.seia.org/initiatives/land-use-solar-development#:~:text=Land%20Use.%20%26.%20Solar%20Development.%20As%20the%20industry,the%20environment%20and%20a%20boon%20for%20local%20communities.

[25]. Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). (2019). Solar and agricultural land use can occur harmoniously. Retrieved from https://www.seia.org/sites/default/files/2019-11/Solar%20Ag%20Land%20Usage%20FactSheet%202019-PRINT.pdf.

[26]. Fouad, M. M., et al. (2017). An integrated review of factors influencing the performance of photovoltaic panels.

[27]. Liu, L., et al. (2022). Potential contributions of wind and solar power to China's carbon neutrality.

[28]. Chowdhury, M. S., et al. (2020). An overview of solar photovoltaic panels’ end-of-life material recycling.

[29]. Divya, A., et al. (2023). Review on recycling of solar modules/panels.

[30]. Genchi, G., et al. (2020). The effects of cadmium toxicity.

[31]. Rabaia, M. K. H., et al. (2021). Environmental impacts of solar energy systems: A review.

[32]. Atasu, A., et al. (2021). The dark side of solar power.

[33]. Gaille, L. (2017). 14 advantages and disadvantages of coal.

[34]. UL Research Institutes. (2022). Environmental impacts of lithium-ion batteries. Retrieved from https://ul.org/research/electrochemical-safety/getting-started-electrochemical-safety/environmental-impacts.

[35]. U.S. Department of Energy. (2019). Solar-plus-storage 101. Retrieved from https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/solar-plus-storage-101.

[36]. Choi, C. S., et al. (2020). Effects of revegetation on soil physical and chemical properties in solar photovoltaic infrastructure.

[37]. Kinkaid, M. (2021). Solar panels: Are aesthetics more important than the environment?

[38]. Xi, J. (2014). We will actively promote China's revolution in energy production and consumption. Retrieved from http://china.cnr.cn/NewsFeeds/201406/t20140613_515664282.shtml.

[39]. Xi, J. (2020). Xi Jinping’s speech at the Climate Ambition Summit (full text). Retrieved from http://www.qstheory.cn/yaowen/2020-12/13/c_1126854050.html.

[40]. Xinhua News Agency. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2021-03/31/content_5597134.htm#1.

Cite this article

Xu,Y. (2024).To what extent can solar panels effectively replace coal to generate electricity in China by 2060?.Advances in Engineering Innovation,11,31-40.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content

About volume

Journal:Advances in Engineering Innovation

Volume number: Vol.11
ISSN:2977-3903(Print) / 2977-3911(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).