Analyzing the carbon mitigation potential of tradable green certificates based on a TGC-FFSRO model: A case study in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Jul 15:630:469-486. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.103. Epub 2018 Feb 24.

Abstract

Contradictions of increasing carbon mitigation pressure and electricity demand have been aggravated significantly. A heavy emphasis is placed on analyzing the carbon mitigation potential of electric energy systems via tradable green certificates (TGC). This study proposes a tradable green certificate (TGC)-fractional fuzzy stochastic robust optimization (FFSRO) model through integrating fuzzy possibilistic, two-stage stochastic and stochastic robust programming techniques into a linear fractional programming framework. The framework can address uncertainties expressed as stochastic and fuzzy sets, and effectively deal with issues of multi-objective tradeoffs between the economy and environment. The proposed model is applied to the major economic center of China, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The generated results of proposed model indicate that a TGC mechanism is a cost-effective pathway to cope with carbon reduction and support the sustainable development pathway of electric energy systems. In detail, it can: (i) effectively promote renewable power development and reduce fossil fuel use; (ii) lead to higher CO2 mitigation potential than non-TGC mechanism; and (iii) greatly alleviate financial pressure on the government to provide renewable energy subsidies. The TGC-FFSRO model can provide a scientific basis for making related management decisions of electric energy systems.

Keywords: Carbon mitigation; Electric power system; Multi-objective; Tradable green certificate; Uncertainties.