Quantification of CO₂ Emissions from Three Power Plants in China Using OCO-3 Satellite Measurements

Abstract

Coal-fired power plants are a major carbon source in China. In order to assess the evaluation of China’s carbon reduction progress with the promise made on the Paris Agreement, it is crucial to monitor the carbon flux intensity from coal-fired power plants. Previous studies have calculated CO₂ emissions from point sources based on Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 and -3 (OCO-2 and OCO-3) satellite measurements, but the factors affecting CO₂ flux estimations are uncertain. In this study, we employ a Gaussian Plume Model to estimate CO₂ emissions from three power plants in China based on OCO-3 XCO₂ measurements. Moreover, flux uncertainties resulting from wind information, background values, satellite CO₂ measurements, and atmospheric stability are discussed. This study highlights the CO₂ flux uncertainty derived from the satellite measurements. Finally, satellite-based CO₂ emission estimates are compared to bottom-up inventories. The satellite-based CO₂ emission estimates at the Tuoketuo and Nongliushi power plants are ∼30 and ∼10 kt d⁻¹ smaller than the Open-Data Inventory for Anthropogenic Carbon dioxide (ODIAC) respectively, but ∼10 kt d⁻¹ larger than the ODIAC at Baotou.

摘 要

电厂是中国主要的碳排放源。为了评估中国在实现《巴黎协定》方面的碳减排进展,监测发电厂的碳排放强度至关重要。已有研究证明了卫星观测计算点源的二氧化碳排放量的可行性,但该方法存在一定的不确定性。本研究基于OCO-3卫星观测数据,采用高斯烟羽模型估算中国三家发电厂的二氧化碳排放量,针对大气风场、二氧化碳背景值、卫星二氧化碳观测和大气稳定度等要素,讨论二氧化碳通量估算的不确定性。除此之外,本研究还将基于卫星观测的二氧化碳排放估算与自下而上的清单进行比较,结果表明托克托和农六师发电厂的二氧化碳排放量估算值比ODIAC排放清单分别偏低∼3和∼1 kt d-⁻¹,而包头发电厂的二氧化碳排放量估算值比ODIAC偏高∼1 kt d-⁻¹。