A holistic picture of China's distributed energy systems: Tracing energy use from energy sources, infrastructure to final demand

Yuning Fu, Chin Hao Chong, Maximilian Arras, Linwei Ma and Zheng Li

Energy, 2025, vol. 328, issue C

Abstract: Distributed energy systems (DESs) developed rapidly in China with policy support. However, DESs' impacts on the overall energy system remain unclear. A primary cause is the lack of comprehensive energy accounting due to DESs' diverse energy types and widespread dispersion. This study developed an energy accounting method for a “Regional System of Distributed Energy (RSDE)” covering various types of DESs. We defined the RSDE's boundary, function, and elements, then built a method of energy flow analysis along the source-infrastructure-demand chain. The method application on China revealed that in 2020, the RSDE contributed 5 % of China's energy use, energy sources was mainly from biomass (38 %) and solar energy (28 %). The share of micro-network transmission was only 41 %, and the final demand came first from the industrial sector (49.1 %), followed by the commercial and residential sector (48.7 %). In 2015–2020, the RSDE's total energy supply increased from 2.973 EJ to 5.427 EJ. The distributed solar energy and natural gas expanded rapidly under subsidies, along with increased consumption in the industrial sector. China RSDE database in this study provides a foundation for further policy research. It's recommended to standardize statistics on DESs enterprises, enhance micro networks, and explore DESs' potential in the industrial sector.

Keywords: Distributed energy; System analysis; Energy flow analysis; Sankey diagrams (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:328:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225018778

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136235

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