Public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) are a common pre-emptive measure to reduce wildfire risk due to power system equipment failure. System operators use PSPS to de-energize electric grid elements that are either prone to failure or located in regions at a high risk of experiencing a wildfire. Successful power system operation during PSPS involve...

These takeaways represent significant points made during the discussion at the ”Workshop on Low-Carbon Transitions in Chinese SOEs” held at UC San Diego on April 12-13, 2024. They are not consensus observations. Link to Publication Recommended citation: 21st Century China Center & Power Transformation Lab. (2024). Workshop on Low-Carbon T...

Postdoctoral Scholar – Renewable Energy Trade between India and China The 21st Century India Center at UC San Diego invites applications for a postdoctoral scholar to conduct research on the renewable energy trade relationship between India and China. This position focuses on understanding and analyzing the drivers, patterns, and implications o...

Power Lab member Shiny Choudhury presented her research at the 2024 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Conference organized by International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) on October 21-25 at Vienna, Austria. This was the first SMR Conference of this scale, signaling growing momentum on advanced nuclear technologies. Shiny presented her work on ‘Fle...

The Power Transformation Lab at UC San Diego (https://pwrlab.org/) is seeking one or more postdoctoral researchers to conduct research on open modeling of China’s power sector decarbonization. The Power Transformation Lab studies the engineering and institutional requirements of deploying low-carbon energy at scale, centering on the role of the ...

China, holding nearly half of the global coal-fired power capacity, must shift from its coal-centric energy system to meet climate and air quality goals. This study explores the optimal utilization of natural gas by evaluating the environmental and economic costs of gas- and coal-fired power using plant-level data and a multidisciplinary modelin...

DESCRIPTION The University of California’s only school of international affairs, the School of Global Policy & Strategy (GPS) provides a unique resource for training leaders, creating ideas, and building networks for the governance of globalization and its local impacts. GPS is internationally renowned for its innovative programs, superb fa...

Pressures to address climate change are eroding the privileged role coal has held in China throughout its modernization. Phasing down coal requires a suite of supply- and demand-side tools to both reduce production (and therefore, maintain sufficiently high prices) and shift to coal alternatives across diverse consumption sectors. This review ou...

From June 16-18, 2024, lab members Shiny Choudhury, Tyson Dao, Kaarthi Gnapathy, and Zhenhua Zhang presented their research at the Technology, Data, and Policy (TDP) Conference held at MIT. This event, organized by MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, provides a platform for graduate students involved in technology and policy research...

UCSD graduate students Jenny Nicolas, Zhenhua Zhang, Manh Tri Dao, and Shiny Choudhury secured Second Place (and $6,000) at the U.S. Department of Energy 2023 Geothermal Collegiate Competition in the Policy Track. The Geothermal Collegiate Competition annually challenges college students to develop real-world geothermal solutions, offering cash...

Sustainability outcomes are influenced by the laws and configurations of natural and engineered systems as well as activities in socio-economic systems. An important subset of human activity is the creation and implementation of institutions, formal and informal rules shaping a wide range of human behavior. Understanding these rules and codifyin...

Lab members Manh Tri Dao, Jenny Nicolas, Shiny Choudhury, and Zhenhua Zhang win gold at the case competition hosted by the US Association for Energy Economics. This year’s competition involved the evaluation of geothermal projects for the hypothetical Energy Oversight Board (EOB), experienced in regulating conventional oil and gas but new to geo...

For years, environmentalists and energy policymakers have seen China’s reliance on coal as a major impediment to reducing global carbon emissions. Burning coal is the world’s single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, and half of all coal-fired power stations are located in China. Full article Recommended citation: Davidson, M. R. (20...