A Stochastic Process-Based Approach for Power System Modeling and Simulation: A Case Study on China’s Long-Term Coal-Fired Power Phaseout

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 17; no. 5; p. 2303
• Main Authors: Yang, Rui, Wang, Wensheng, Chang, Chuangye, Wang, Zhuoqi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2025
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Carbon; Case studies; Coal; Coal-fired power plants; Electric power systems; Facility closures; Normal distribution; Random variables; Simulation; Stochastic models; Stochastic processes; Systems stability; Trends; China
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su17052303

Power systems hold huge potential for emission reduction, which has made the modeling and pathway simulations of their decarbonizing development a subject of widespread interest. However, current studies have not yet provided a useful modeling method that can deliver analytical probabilistic information about future system behaviors by considering various uncertainty factors. Therefore, this paper proposes a stochastic process-based approach that can provide analytical solutions for the uncertainty ranges, as well as their changing momentum, accumulation, and probabilistic distributions. Quantitative probabilities of certain incidents in power systems can be deduced accordingly, without massive Monte Carlo simulations. A case study on China’s long-term coal-fired power phaseout was conducted to demonstrate the practical use of the proposed approach. By modeling the coal-fired power system at the unit level based on stochastic processes, phaseout pathways are probabilistically simulated with consideration of national power security. Simulations span from 2025 to 2060, presenting results and accumulated uncertainties for annual power amounts, full-process emissions, and carbon efficiencies. Through this modeling and simulation, the probabilities of China’s coal-fired power system achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 are 91.15% and 42.13%, respectively. It is expected that there will remain 442 GW of capacity with 0.18 Gt of carbon emissions in 2060.