Impact of 'ultra low emission' technology of coal-fired power on PM_(2.5) pollution in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region

摘要

In response to severe haze pollution, the Chinese government has announced a series of policies focusing on controlling emissions from coal consumption. "Ultra-low emission" (ULE) technologies have the potential to dramatically reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, and have been deployed at some facilities in recent years. This paper estimated the potential environmental benefits of the widespread adoption of ULE in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region. Atmospheric modeling scenarios were analyzed for three cases: a "standard" scenario assuming no ULE deployment, a "best case" scenario assuming complete adoption of ULE across all power plants in the region, and a "natural gas" scenario, assuming emissions factors consistent with natural gas-fired power generation. The simulations show that the widespread adoption of ULE technologies can be an effective and economically competitive option for reducing the impacts of coal-fired power generation on air quality.