Publisher: Energy (Elsevier)
Date: 2023
Source title: Multipath retrofit planning approach for coal‑fired power plants in low‑carbon power system transitions: Shanxi Province case in China
Authors: Zhang Zhi; Zhou Ming; Yuan Bo; Guo Zun; Wu Zhaoyuan; Li Gengyin
Intro-summary
This paper builds a two‑level planning + operation model to choose among three retrofit paths for coal plants—flexibility upgrades, CCUS, and Carnot battery reconstruction—while enforcing unit‑commitment, reserve, and frequency‑security constraints under high VRE. The model, solved via hyperplane piecewise linearization and chance‑constrained transformation, quantifies system reliability and economics, then applies it to Shanxi’s 2030 grid with 77 GW coal, 36 GW wind, 38 GW PV and 60 GW peak load. Results compare roles of each path and provide retrofit decisions, highlighting Carnot batteries as a viable reuse option for retired units that cuts stranded costs, improves flexibility and inertia, and supports VRE accommodation alongside or instead of CCUS and traditional flexibility upgrades.