Northwestern China Power System Decarbonization: Moving toward Zero-Carbon in Qinghai Province

This report by RMI outlines recommendations for technical aspects and market design to help Qinghai province achieve its goal of a near-zero-carbon power system by 2030, serving as a potential model for other high-renewables regions.

• Qinghai province aims to establish a near-zero-carbon power system by 2030, leveraging its position as the region in northwestern China with the highest clean energy penetration and greatest renewables development potential.
• The report identifies three primary challenges facing Qinghai's power system: the large-scale generation, consumption, and export of renewables; the flexibility requirements necessary for a zero-carbon system; and the operational challenges associated with high renewables penetration.
• To address these challenges, the report proposes solutions focused on generation capacity planning—specifically evaluating the technical and economic potential of green hydrogen power, concentrated solar power, and battery energy storage systems—and power market design, including capacity pricing mechanisms and ancillary services reform between the 2020s and 2030.

APA

RMI (2023). Northwestern China Power System Decarbonization: Moving toward Zero-Carbon in Qinghai Province. https://rmi.org/resources/northwestern-china-power-system-decarbonization/

Chicago

RMI. Northwestern China Power System Decarbonization: Moving toward Zero-Carbon in Qinghai Province. 2023. https://rmi.org/resources/northwestern-china-power-system-decarbonization/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Northwestern China Power System Decarbonization: Moving toward Zero-Carbon in Qinghai Province |date=7 March 2023 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/northwestern-china-power-system-decarbonization/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2023northwestern, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Northwestern China Power System Decarbonization: Moving toward Zero-Carbon in Qinghai Province}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2023}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/northwestern-china-power-system-decarbonization/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }