ABSTRACT
Hydropower and concentrated solar power (CSP) are promising alternative energy sources to replace coal power plants and reduce carbon emissions in China’s electric power sector. However, their operations also depend on their resources, and their future development may be constrained by water availability. China has the world’s second-largest hydropower potential, next to Russia, and has already installed the largest capacity, 352 GW by 2018. Hydropower plants, primarily located in southwestern and central China provinces, contribute to around 17% of China’s total electricity supply each year. Under future climate change, the gross hydropower potential in China is expected to increase due to increased water availability on the national level. However, water availability is expected to decrease in southwestern and central regions, where most current hydropower facilities are located, which is expected to reduce the national usable hydropower capacity. CSP is an upcoming technology that is increasingly being adopted and can utilize China’s abundant solar energy in the northwestern regions to produce low-carbon electricity. While water is required for the steam cycle, cooling purpose and dust cleaning in CSP power plants, water resources are not abundant in those solar-rich regions, which can impede the future development of CSP. Water resources need to be integrated into China’s future energy planning, including the development of non-coal energy sources.
