In September 2019, Hong-dian Jiang, a PhD candidate of the Center for Energy & Environmental Policy Research, Beijing Institute of Technology, went to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria, as a joint PhD student for a year. Dr. Purohit Pallav, his co-supervisor, is a research scholar at the Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases (AIR) Program, and is also a visiting faculty member to the Institute of Political Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Pallav worked in the development of GAINS Asia model with a particular focus on China and India. He focused on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions (F-gases), Energy Policy & Planning, Climate Change Mitigation, and Integrated Assessment Modeling. IIASA conducts interdisciplinary scientific studies on environmental, economic, technological and social issues. Through its research programs and initiatives, the institute conducts policy-oriented research into issues that are too large or complex to be solved by a single country or academic discipline. This particularly includes pressing concerns that affect the future of all of humanity, such as climate change, energy security, and sustainable development.

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis（IISAS）

　　Hong-dian Jiang’s main research interests are energy complex system modeling (i.e., CGE model), energy and environmental policy analysis and carbon marginal abatement cost curves. During the academic visit, Hong-dian Jiang mainly focused on the topic “Economy-wide impacts of large-scale deployment of carbon capture and storage in China’s power sector”. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is attractive for limiting global temperature rise to 2°C. Considering the expected continued dominance of coal-fired power in the near future and the fact that current CCS technology is still at the demonstration stage, large-scale deployment of CCS in the power sector is urgently needed in the next few decades. To this end, this study constructed a computable general equilibrium model with a detailed electricity technology module, and evaluated the socio-economic and environmental effects of different incentive policies on the large-scale deployment of CCS. The results show that a 13% CCS penetration in China’s power sector can be achieved in several ways. However, if only CCS is subsidized, without supplementing carbon pricing, it will cause deviations from the core objectives of CCS development, including an insignificant economy-wide carbon abatement, anti-clean development of the electricity structure, and an increase in external dependence on natural gas. Second, under the combination of subsidized CCS and carbon pricing, if the sectoral indirect tax is reduced, the gross domestic product (GDP) loss can be better mitigated, and it can also have a significant positive impact on emission reduction, energy conservation, and reduction of external dependence on oil and gas. Third, a gradual sector-coverage approach of carbon pricing helps to further alleviate the accumulated GDP loss, ease profit losses of various sectors, and improve the positive effects on energy indicators.

　　In addition, Hong-dian Jiang actively participated in academic activities, which mainly focus on the mitigation strategies adopted by the world to achieve the 1.5 / 2 degree temperature rise control target, including the mid- and long-term climate change mitigation strategies and progress of various countries, mitigation measures at the sector level, and the co-control of greenhouse gases emissions and local pollutants. Through communication with foreign researchers, Hong-dian Jiang not only learned about the latest research trends, but also broadened his research horizon, which provided a good help for his future research work.

Academic activities during the academic visit