Increasing the application of gas engines to decrease China’s GHG emissions

Liyan Feng (), Jun Zhai, Lei Chen, Wuqiang Long, Jiangping Tian and Bin Tang ()
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Liyan Feng: Dalian University of Technology
Jun Zhai: Dalian University of Technology
Lei Chen: Dalian University of Technology
Wuqiang Long: Dalian University of Technology
Jiangping Tian: Dalian University of Technology
Bin Tang: Dalian University of Technology

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 2017, vol. 22, issue 6, No 1, 839-861

Abstract: Abstract This paper employs a review of the technical literature to estimate the potential decrease in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that could be achieved by increasing the application of gas engines in China in three sectors: urban public transport vehicle; shipping; and thermal power plants. China’s gas engine development strategies and three types of gas resource are discussed in the study, which indicates that gas engines could decrease GHG emissions by 520 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by 2020. This would account for 9.7 % of the government’s target for decreasing GHG emissions and is dominated by methane recovery from the use of coal mine gas (CMG) and landfill gas (LFG) for power generation. In the public urban transport vehicle and shipping sectors the low price of natural gas and the increasing demand for the control of harmful emissions could spur the rapid uptake of gas engine vehicles. However, the development of CMG- and LFG-fuelled power plants has been limited by the unwillingness of local enterprises to invest in high-performance gas engine generators and the associated infrastructure. Therefore, further compulsory policies that promote CMG use and LFG recovery should be implemented. Moreover, strict regulations on limiting methane leakage during the production and distribution of gas fuels are urgently needed in China to prevent leakage causing GHG emissions and largely negating the climate benefits of fuel substitution. Strategies for increasing the application of gas engines, promoting gas resources and recovering methane in China are instrumental in global GHG mitigation strategies.

Keywords: Gas engines; Gas fuel resources; GHG emissions; Power generation; Transport (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s11027-016-9700-5

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