Competition vs cooperation:renewable energy investment under cap-and-trade mechanisms

This paper explores the incentives of investment in renewable energy of two utility firms who compete or cooperate under either a cap-and-trade grandfathering mechanism(GM)or benchmarking mechanism(BM).We find that utility firms will invest in renewable energy more under BM than under GM,in both competitive and cooperative markets,and they will invest more in a competitive market than in a cooperative market,under either GM or BM.Furthermore,utility firms will produce more electricity and generate more total carbon emissions under BM than under GM.The profits of two firms,however,are higher in cooperative market than in competitive market.The government will benefit from implementing a BM to encourage utility firms to invest in renewable energy in a competing market.

Public-Private Partnerships to Address Global Environmental Problem： Sino-US Cooperation on Climate Change and Energy

The study indicates that public-private partnerships （PPPs） can play ＂strategic＂, ＂practical＂, or ＂regulative＂ roles by making use of ＂instrumental＂, ＂institutional＂, and ＂normative＂ approaches in tackling political issues between countries. PPPs have often been discussed in studies of urban development, service provision, health care, and so on, but they have rarely been analyzed in terms of international relations and political problems on global environmental issues. This study takes an environmental problena---Sino-US energy and climate change cooperation--as a case study to inspect the possible roles and approaches of PPPs. Sino-US cooperation has been launched such as under the Strategic ＆ Economic Dialogue （S＆ED） by both administrations, which has significantly contributed to their reconciliation of domestic abatement policies in climate change, environmental protection, and energy. The establishment of schemes such as the Ten-Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment （TYF）, the EcoPartnerships, and wide-ranging dialogues and initiatives on clean energy and clean vehicles, in which both public and private actors participate, are among the important approaches of facilitating bilateral cooperation. The study concludes that these schemes have played strategic and practical roles in strengthening the degree of mutual trust and in facilitating the progress of cooperation, although more investigations are needed to considerate their regulative roles. The application of instrumental, institutional, and normative approaches have been observed through the implementation of the TYF and EcoPartnerships.

Sino-US Joint Committee on High Energy Physics convenes in Beijing

The 27th Meeting of the Sino-U.S. Joint Committee on High Energy Physics took place on 17 and 18 November at the CAS Institute of High Energy Physics

Oil and gas cooperation between China and Central Asia in an environment of political and resource competition

This paper investigates Central Asia＇s oil and gas resources, special geopolitics and energy competition, and approaches, challenges and prospects in cooperation between China and Central Asia. The objective is to propose measures for oil and gas cooperation between China and Central Asia. Central Asia is rich in oil and gas resources. Its remaining recoverable reserves of crude oil and natural gas account for 1.9% and 10.6 %, respectively, of the world＇s total reserves. Moreover, there is great exploration and development potential. As a strategic channel connecting Eurasia, Central Asia has a prominent geopolitical status. Many powerful countries such as the United States, Russia and China, as well as Europe, have an intense energy competition in Central Asia. In the oil and gas cooperation with Central Asia, the China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC） focuses on establishing a coordination group, promoting overall oil and gas business opportunities and sustainable development, innovating and applying specialty engineering technology and improving project economic benefits. Through its efforts over the last nearly two decades, the China National Petroleum Corporation has completed a 50-million-tonne a year oil and gas production centre in Central Asia and oil and gas pipelines passing through multiple countries, becoming an important channel for securing China＇s energy imports. If appropriate measures are taken in the ＇Thirteenth Five-Year Plan＇ period or later, the China National Petroleum Corporation will develop a 100-million-tonne p.a. oil and gas production centre in Central Asia and a strategic oil and gas import channel exceeding this amount of production. This cooperation between China and Central Asia is however faced with the following challenges： increasing multinational competition uncertainty, potential risks in the political systems of Central Asian countries, frequently occurring violence and also resource policy tightening in Central Asia. To further oil and gas cooperation with Central Asia, it is recommended that China should develop an energy acquisition strategy, assign a regional energy ambassador, enhance oil and gas supply by mergers and acquisitions, establish regional multinational subsidiaries and improve its risk prevention system.

A Data Intrusion Tolerance Model Based on an Improved Evolutionary Game Theory for the Energy Internet

Malicious attacks against data are unavoidable in the interconnected,open and shared Energy Internet(EI),Intrusion tolerant techniques are critical to the data security of EI.Existing intrusion tolerant techniques suffered from problems such as low adaptability,policy lag,and difficulty in determining the degree of tolerance.To address these issues,we propose a novel adaptive intrusion tolerance model based on game theory that enjoys two-fold ideas:(1)it constructs an improved replica of the intrusion tolerance model of the dynamic equation evolution game to induce incentive weights;and (2)it combines a tournament competition model with incentive weights to obtain optimal strategies for each stage of the game process.Extensive experiments are conducted in the IEEE 39-bus system,whose results demonstrate the feasibility of the incentive weights,confirm the proposed strategy strengthens the system’s ability to tolerate aggression,and improves the dynamic adaptability and response efficiency of the aggression-tolerant system in the case of limited resources.

Behavioural and energetic consequences of competition among three overwintering swan(Cygnus spp.)species

Background:Winter numbers of the northwest European population of Bewick's Swans(Cygnus columbianus bewickii)declined recently by c.40%.During the same period,numbers of two sympatric and ecologically-similar congeners,the Mute Swan(Cygnus olor)and Whooper Swan(Cygnus cygnus)showed increases or stability.It has been suggested that these opposing population trends could have a causal relationship,as Mute and Whooper Swans are larger and competitively dominant to Bewick's Swans in foraging situations.If so,effects of competition of Mute and Whooper Swans on Bewick's Swans should be detectable as measurable impacts on behaviour and energetics.Methods:Here,we studied the diurnal behaviour and energetics of 1083 focal adults and first-winter juveniles("cygnets")of the three swan species on their winter grounds in eastern England.We analysed video recordings to derive time-activity budgets and these,together with estimates of energy gain and expenditure,were analysed to determine whether individual Bewick's Swans altered the time spent on key behaviours when sharing feeding habitat with other swan species,and any consequences for their energy expenditure and net energy gain.Results:All three swan species spent a small proportion of their total time(0.011)on aggressive interactions,and these were predominantly intraspecific(≥0.714).Mixed-effects models indicated that sharing feeding habitat with higher densities of Mute and Whooper Swans increased the likelihood of engaging in aggression for cygnet Bewick's Swans,but not for adults.Higher levels of interspecific competition decreased the time spent by Bewick's Swan cygnets on foraging,whilst adults showed the opposite pattern.When among low densities of conspecifics(<c.200 individuals/km^(2)),individual Bewick's Swans spent more time on vigilance in the presence of higher densities of Mute and Whooper Swans,whilst individuals within higher density Bewick's Swan flocks showed the opposite pattern.Crucially,we found no evidence that greater numbers of interspecific competitors affected the net energy gain of either adult or cygnet Bewick's Swans.Conclusions:We found no evidence that Bewick's Swan net energy gain was affected by sharing agricultural feeding habitat with larger congeners during winter.This was despite some impacts on the aggression,foraging and vigilance behaviours of Bewick's Swans,especially among cygnets.It is unlikely therefore that competition between Bewick's Swans and either Mute or Whooper Swans at arable sites in winter has contributed to the observed decline in Bewick's Swan numbers.Further research is needed,however,to test for competition in other parts of the flyway,including migratory stopover sites and breeding areas.

US-China Competition in International Development Assistance

China and the US differ sharply in their models of international development assistance. Because the US strengthens development assistance as a strategic investment, it has a privileged position under current international rules. China has expanded in regional markets using more cooperation and is there recreating the rules in trade, investment and infrastructure. To deal with China’s policy on international development,the Trump administration is promoting a geoeconomic game and trying to make its US model more attractive. This gives a glimpse into how the US has begun a systematic balancing. International development assistance has been a security tool,and now becomes the main battlefield of competition between the two countries.

Environmental Sustainability and Regional Competitiveness:Innovative Steps by a Local Public Authority towards Energy Saving

Public local authorities are among the key players not only for assisting a nation to achieve its strategic energy goals but also for raising awareness towards relevant topics among its citizens.Yet,there has been little research on their role in this policy agenda.This paper aims to fill this gap by highlighting the significance of a local authority’s outcomes,in the environmental sustainability sphere,by its participation in various projects and EU programs.The reference years are 2014 to 2019 and the focus area is energy savings in public buildings and raising awareness on energy issues and sustainable development.This article’s aim is to outline the derived add value towards regional competitiveness and environmental sustainability from each action.Hersonisos Municipality’s holistic approach aims to reduce its overall energy balance and to point out that local authorities can become both a beckon of sustainability and a regional development pillar.

WHAT IS AFFORDABLE GREEN HOUSING?ANALYSIS OF A COMPETITION

The range and invention of architects’proposals for more‘sustainable’modes of medium-density urban housing can be seen in entries to a design competition for‘affordable green housing’.The paper examines the attitudes and judgments about design that they represent,and how the winning entry has been modified for construction.An appendix provides a list of features claimed to promote the‘sustainability’of entries.The results present a picture of current thinking on the nature of affordable green housing,and provide a useful comparison for architects approaching their own projects and competition entries.

Power Maximization of A Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter Using Improved Model Predictive Control

This paper considers controlling and maximizing the absorbed power of wave energy converters for irregular waves. With respect to physical constraints of the system, a model predictive control is applied. Irregular waves’ behavior is predicted by Kalman filter method. Owing to the great influence of controller parameters on the absorbed power, these parameters are optimized by imperialist competitive algorithm. The results illustrate the method’s efficiency in maximizing the extracted power in the presence of unknown excitation force which should be predicted by Kalman filter.

PRELIMINARY PROBE INTO OPTIMIZATION ON PROPULSION IN SHORT DISTANCE COMPETITIVE SWIMMING

Based on the modeling of dynamics and energy conversion in competitive swimming, the optimal control theory was used to make an optimization analysis of the distance traveled in a given time. Using the records of the 27th Olympics and the results from previous research, an optimal solution of propulsion was derived using some hypotheses and constraints. Correspondingly, the optimal tactic for velocity and energy was put forward which was in agreement with the practice.

Developing energy forecasting model using hybrid artificial intelligence method

An important problem in demand planning for energy consumption is developing an accurate energy forecasting model. In fact, it is not possible to allocate the energy resources in an optimal manner without having accurate demand value. A new energy forecasting model was proposed based on the back-propagation(BP) type neural network and imperialist competitive algorithm. The proposed method offers the advantage of local search ability of BP technique and global search ability of imperialist competitive algorithm. Two types of empirical data regarding the energy demand(gross domestic product(GDP), population, import, export and energy demand) in Turkey from 1979 to 2005 and electricity demand(population, GDP, total revenue from exporting industrial products and electricity consumption) in Thailand from 1986 to 2010 were investigated to demonstrate the applicability and merits of the present method. The performance of the proposed model is found to be better than that of conventional back-propagation neural network with low mean absolute error.

Economics of Small Modular Reactors: Will They MakeNuclear Power More Competitive?

Looking at the historical evolution of commercial use of nuclear power,the long-term trend so far has been to increase the size of the reactors to maintain their economic competitiveness through economies of scale.However,over the last five years,advanced reactor concepts,among which the SMRs(Small Modular Reactors),have progressed faster than anyone predicted ten years ago.It is likely that several FOAK(First of a kind)SMRs will be constructed and start operation over the next ten years,and a global supply chain will be developed to support them.Benefitting from their architecture and the overall system simplification,SMRs could become one of the main drivers of deep decarbonisation of the global economy,an enabler of large-scale hydrogen economy,a solution for allowing growth of energy consumption in the developing world without relying on fossil fuels,a means to replace the heat source of hundreds of coal power plants around the globe.The article analyses the main economic drivers to override the diseconomy of scale of SMRs-modularisation and factory build,design simplification,standardisation,and industrial and regulatory harmonisation-and discusses the advantages and challenges of different SMR designs in unlocking those drivers.Some publicly available studies on SMR CAPEX,OPEX and LCOE are reviewed to demonstrate the values the different vendors and developers are targeting to make SMRs competitive not only with respect to large nuclear reactors but also to other means of electricity and heat generation.

OFF-GRID TINy HOUSE SMART RESIDENTIAL ENERGy MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Students at California State University(CSU),Chico designed,built,and tested an off-grid solar powered tiny house and competed in the 2016 Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s(SMUD)Tiny House Competition.Top tier research institutions,predominantly undergraduate universities,and community colleges from all over California competed against one another in a variety of performance and aesthetic events in SMUD’s first ever competition.One of the main goals of the CSU,Chico’s Tiny House was to design and implement an autonomous energy management system to maximize energy capture,use,and efficiency and provide a seamless,comfortable,and uninterrupted indoor living environment.This system,smart residential energy management system(SREMS),was designed to monitor and sense solar energy collected and stored,indoor heating and cooling loads,occupant cooking and personal water heating needs,and electrical outlets and to determine and allow energy related activities given the amount of stored energy.Thermodynamic and heat transfer models were developed to predict heating,cooling,and appliance requirements.These models were used to size the solar array,battery storage,and appliances.SREMS was installed in the tiny house and its performance was tested and validated during the week long SMUD Tiny House competition.Results showed close correlation with the predicted energy requirements of the models,and the tiny house maintained net-zero energy use even during overcast and rainy skies throughout the three-day event.The CSU,Chico team won best control system and best technology at the statewide event.This paper describes the design,installation and testing results of CSU,Chico’s Tiny House SREMS.

中、美、日、韩新能源汽车产业竞争优势测度与比较研究——以锂电池汽车为例

本文基于中、美、日、韩近30年在锂电池汽车领域的专利数据,选取20个关键指标构建“技术-经济-法律”三维分析模型,并划分出关键核心专利,在此基础上应用景气综合指数法计算四国在锂电池汽车产业的竞争优势指数,并对其进行比较与分析。结果表明,中、美、日、韩在锂电池汽车领域的总体发展布局已基本到达顶峰,且于近两年呈现波动下降趋势。总体来看,美国获得竞争优势时间最早且指数发展趋势最为稳定,连续多年稳居第一;中国获得竞争优势时间最晚,但指数发展速度最快,截至2021年末,中国总体竞争优势指数与美国持平,远超日、韩两国。分维度来看,中、美分别于经济、技术维度具有绝对竞争优势;韩国在经济、法律维度发展较为稳定,但技术维度影响整体,导致整体呈现波动下降趋势;日本在各维度均呈现出明显下降趋势,仅在技术维度下降幅度较小。由此得出结论:中国经济发展带动整体,已基本实现锂电池汽车产业的技术赶超,技术维度的发展是获得持续性竞争优势的基础,因此应在保持现有锂电池汽车领域竞争优势的同时注重相关技术轨道的跨越与变迁,以获取新能源汽车产业的持续性竞争优势。

绿色技术创新对我国碳减排的影响——基于省级区域面板数据的实证分析

为了早日实现“碳达峰碳中和目标”,我国提出要建立健全绿色低碳循环发展的经济体系,而绿色技术创新是推动绿色高质量发展的关键核心,也是解决我国现实生态环境问题的重要支撑。为了研究绿色技术创新对地区碳减排的影响机制,文章基于我国30个省份2011-2020年的面板数据构建固定效应模型,并检验了能源利用率的中介机制和地方政府竞争的调节作用。研究发现,绿色技术创新可以显著促进碳减排,但这一促进作用在我国东部地区最显著,而在中部地区和西部地区不显著;进一步研究发现,绿色技术创新可以通过提高能源利用率促进碳减排,但地方政府竞争对绿色技术创新的促进作用起到负向调节作用。本研究为提高我国绿色技术创新能力、助力“双碳目标”的实现以及促进地方政府有序竞争提供了理论支撑和对策建议。

地缘政治与战略资源产业链重构——以关键稀土矿产和材料为例

大国清洁能源转型尤其是快速扩张的电动汽车、风电等产业刺激了稀土等战略资源需求,稀土产业链成为中美地缘政治竞争的焦点领域。该研究基于法学和政治经济学的理论方法,从全球治理的经典范式出发,考察美国力推全球稀土产业链重构的深层动因及地缘政治影响,在美国地缘战略“产业链控制”与“联盟制华”两大特征下,揭示中美稀土产业链脱钩与全球“双链”格局、美国“三大法案”与清洁能源产业体系主导权、中美大国博弈与日本产业安全等重要政治经济关系之间的底层逻辑和战略呼应。研究发现:①在产业链控制方面,下游企业开展技术“去稀土化”与美西方“去中国化”的产业链布局导向相互加持,共同推动形成全球战略资源“双链”格局;②在与盟国联合制华方面,美国要求日本等盟国分担与中国地缘竞争的“缔盟”责任,而日本出于自身利益高度介入全球稀土产业链重构,由高度依赖中国稀土进口转向深度参与美国主导的全球稀土产业链;③美国出台“三大法案”是其一贯以国内法塑造地缘关系又一力证,背后的深层动机在于通过重塑战略资源产业链,掌控全球清洁能源转型的主导权。为应对日益升级的战略资源大国博弈,要立足双循环新发展格局,一方面利用好产业链中前端的资源和产能优势,创新引领战略资源产业链自主延展;另一方面强化战略布局,整合全球关键矿产资源,丰富反制手段,不断增强稀土等重点产业链韧性,提升国家战略资源安全保障水平。

基于能量均衡的非均匀分簇调度算法

针对无线传感器网络节点能量有限且不可充电的问题,本文提出基于能量均衡的非均匀分簇调度算法(EBNC_CHES)延长网络寿命。EBNC_CHES在麻雀搜索算法的基础上,引入时间竞争机制减少冗余信息获取和能耗传递的同时,采取K-means非均匀分簇均衡簇间网络能量消耗,引入改进的麻雀搜索在簇头选举中均衡簇内能耗。仿真结果表明:该算法与LEACH、EECHS_ISSADE和EESSTBRP相比,冗余信息降低了81%、80%、55%,能耗利用率提高了133%、50%、11.4%,寿命延长了52.8%、43.5%、12.2%。此算法能减少冗余信息,降低网络能耗、延长网络寿命。

基于可信容量的长期储能充裕性决策分解模型

电力系统发电容量充裕性是表征系统发电能力的一个重要指标,合理调动长期储能充分利用其转移电量的能力,是平衡系统充裕性波动的一个重要方法.针对长期储能年周期内的转移电量分配问题,提出基于可信容量的长期储能充裕性决策分解模型.鉴于新能源机组和常规机组的评估水平不同,利用基于等可靠性指标的新能源可信容量评估将新能源等效为常规机组,以评估新能源机组对电力系统充裕性的贡献.计及强迫停运因素,对机组充裕容量进行调整,并且分析长期储能转移电量对于系统充裕性的影响;根据系统充裕性评估方法,构建以长期储能转移电量为决策变量的长期储能充裕性决策分解模型,并且考虑长期储能的自放电和充放电损耗,建立相关约束条件.考虑到模型非线性分段的特征,采用列队竞争算法对其求解,同时为了克服收缩比选取困难的问题,对列队竞争算法进行改进.设置算例分析电力系统新能源和常规机组对系统发电容量充裕性的贡献程度,验证长期储能充裕性决策分解模型的可行性,对比算法证实了改进列队竞争算法的优越性.

大国竞争背景下伴生能源金属可持续供给研究综述

在大国竞争带来国内和国际金属资源战略发生重大调整的新形势下,科学分析伴生能源金属可持续供给问题对支撑能源转型、保障伴生能源金属供应安全具有重要意义。对大国竞争背景下伴生能源金属的可持续供给理论机制、评估方法、调控路径等进行了系统梳理,研究发现:大国竞争对伴生能源金属可持续供给的影响是在载体金属与伴生金属、供给与需求、国内与国际等多系统、多因素交互作用下的结果;经济学、地质学和产业生态学等不同领域的学者从原生供给潜力、循环利用潜力、需求变化和价格机制等不同侧面开发出了伴生能源金属可持续供给评估方法,随着大国竞争日益加剧,现有研究对伴生能源金属可持续供给趋势的分析从全球尺度向国家或区域尺度不断深入;学者们从不同产业链环节提出了包括资源增量路径、资源节约路径、资源替代路径和资源回收路径在内的伴生能源金属可持续供给调控路径;未来需深入解析大国竞争对伴生能源金属可持续供给的影响过程、路径等机制问题,融合多学科理论和方法,将大国竞争战略目标纳入伴生能源金属可持续供给调控路径的研究中,厘清“中国因素”在全球伴生能源金属可持续供给格局中的作用。