Modelling building’s life-cycle decarbonization in China: A multi-level and multi-region optimization approach

The decarbonization of life-cycle emissions is a huge challenge to the building sector because it involves multiple levels. However, previous studies rarely evaluated the potential emission reduction contribution of various technologies in the life cycle, especially China, whose life-cycle CO2 emissions of the building sector account for over 40 percent of the total emissions. A multi-level and multi-region optimization model is proposed to quantify the life-cycle CO2 emission reduction path of China's building sector in this paper. Considering both indirect and direct emissions, this model can find the lowest-cost path of CO2 emission reduction in China's building sector under specified emission scenarios. Results show that extending the building life from 30 years to 50 years has a great impact on emission reduction, leading to a CO2 emission reduction of more than 50 percent if low-carbon building materials are also used. Moreover, electrification and emission reduction of the power system also have the potential of reducing the CO2 emissions of buildings by nearly 40 percent, with an end-use electrification rate of more than 70 percent by 2060.