How does electricity supply mode affect energy-water-emissions nexus in urban energy system? Evidence from energy transformation in Beijing, China

• Published in: Journal of cleaner production 2022-09, Vol.366, p.132892, Article 132892
• Main Authors: Liu, Yuan, Tan, Qinliang, Zhang, Xingping, Han, Jian, Guo, Mingxin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bi-level decentralized model; Energy transformation process; Energy-water-emissions nexus; Importance analysis; Uncertainty; Urban energy system optimization
• ISSN: 0959-6526; 1879-1786
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132892

Importing power is an effective way to guarantee the energy supply security of many megacities. However, this process seriously aggravates the environmental pressure of the regions exporting power resource. How to investigate the stable importing power mode and simultaneously quantize the virtual material flow during the power transformation process has become an important issue. This study proposes a stochastic hierarchical model to optimize the energy-water-emissions nexus (EWEN) of the urban energy system. Coupled with the importance analysis theory, the most stable mode of the importing power and the virtual materials during the power transformation process can be determined. Based on the official statistics data of Beijing and three power exporting regions, the optimized results show that when power supply security level pi = 0.05, the EWEN of Beijing's energy system reaches the best balance with the supreme satisfaction degree (λ = 0.954). Meanwhile, the supply mode of importing power apparently changes the proportion of virtual materials under each pi level, which provide an effective way of distinguishing the responsibility that Beijing should shoulder to make a compensation to power supply regions. Scientific compensation mechanism is suggested to be established and perfected to eliminate the unbalance due to the power transformation in different regions. •The impact of electricity supply mode in urban energy system is examined.•The virtual part in EWEN is mainly concerned in an optimized framework.•The impact of power supply security level in Beijing is examined.•The mode of the importing power greatly affects the EWEN in Beijing’ energy system.•The framework could be applied into other megacities facing similar problems.