Feasibility Analysis of Converting Hydropower Stations into Power Regulation Centers-Taking the Three Gorges Project for Example

In order to effectively respond to the global climate change and energy crisis, the structural transformation of energy has become an irreversible trend in the future development of China’s energy system. As a new kind of clean and renewable energy source, wind power technology has made great progress in recent years and has become relatively mature. The penetration rate of wind power in China’s power system increases continuously, playing an important role in promoting energy saving and emission reduction. However, because of their instability in time and space, wind power and solar power may pose great challenges to the safety of the power grid. To ensure power supply, thermal power generating units, combined with pumped-storage power stations, are still mainly used for peak load regulation nowadays, which is inconsistent with the long-term goal of carbon neutrality. This essay mainly studies the feasibility of turning hydropower stations into power regulation centers, taking the Three Gorges Project as the analysis object.

Temporal and Spatial Analysis of the Ecosystem Service Values in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of China Based on Land Use Change

The Three Gorges Reservoir area (TGRA) has complex geological conditions and a fragile ecological environment. The construction of the Three Gorges Project triggered a series of ecological and environmental issues and social disputes, which have attracted much attention in recent years. However, it is still unclear how the temporal and spatial characteristics of ecosystem service value (ESV) in the TGRA changed in each stage of the Three Gorges Project along with the implementation of some ecological restoration projects. Based on four periods of land use data from 2000 to 2018, the changes in land use were studied and the ecosystem service values (ESVs) were estimated. Then, we analysed the spatial distribution and dynamic changes in ecosystem services. The results showed that from 2000 to 2018, grassland and construction land were the largest land use types showing area reductions and increases and the conversion of cropland to forestland, grassland and construction land represented the most important land type changes. In the past 18 years, due to the increase in forestland and water area, the ESVs increased by 2.7 billion yuan, with a growth rate of 3.46%. From the perspective of contribution rate, the conversion of cropland to forestland had the largest contribution rate to the increase in ESV. The ESV was higher in the northeast and lower in the southwest, and its changes have significant positive autocorrelation in spatial distribution. The hot spots of ESV change were mainly distributed in the main stream of the Yangtze River and the reservoir area. This research provides a reference for land resource allocation and experience for the ecological environment protection and sustainable development of the Yangtze River Basin.