State Grid Jiangsu pilots new carbon measurement device

The first carbon measurement device in East China's Jiangsu province, based on time-specific, zone-specific, and voltage-specific carbon emission factors, was put into operation in Changzhou on Sept 1.

The device incorporates domestically advanced research findings on carbon emission factors, enhancing the accuracy of corporate carbon emission accounting to an hourly level.

The carbon emission factor refers to the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced per unit of electricity, serving as a core evaluation metric for measuring the carbon emission intensity of a power system.

Traditional carbon emission accounting methods use the provincial annual average value for the carbon emission factor, which fails to reflect variations in emissions across different time periods and regions.

"This is like deciding what to wear each day based on the annual average temperature — the calculated carbon emissions are often higher than the actual amount," said Zhao Qingyuan, director of the carbon asset management office at State Grid Changzhou Power Supply Company.

State Grid Jiangsu Electric Power proposed a carbon emission factor model and calculation method that is time-specific, zone-specific, and voltage-specific. This model has been deployed on the provincial carbon asset management platform.

Building on this, State Grid Changzhou company developed a compatible carbon measurement device, enabling the direct application of this carbon emission factor calculation method at the enterprise level.

The company has also developed a supporting carbon emission monitoring system to help enterprises track historical electricity usage and carbon emission data across different dimensions, such as equipment and factory sites. This provides a foundation for carbon management and international mutual recognition of carbon emission data.