The electric power industry is facing severe pressure of low-carbon transition under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. In particular

the thermal power industry is facing the dual challenges of flexible peak regulation and carbon emission reduction. The influence of carbon emission characteristics of thermal power units equipped with carbon capture technology under partial load conditions is a key issue related to the transformation and upgrading of thermal power units in the future. A system model is established for coal-fired power generation unit equipped with carbon capture technology in this paper. The change of carbon emission intensity of coal-fired power generation unit under partial load conditions is analyzed

and the economics of carbon capture units under partial load are evaluated. The results show that the carbon emission intensity of the power generation unit without carbon capture technology will be higher than the carbon emission baseline value below 60% load. The coal-fired power generation unit equipped with carbon capture technology can maintain 90% flue gas removal ratio by adjusting the liquid-gas ratio and extraction steam capacity of the capture unit reasonably. The carbon emission intensity of the unit can be controlled below 130 g/(kW⋅h)

even at low load rates. However

the efficiency of the power generation unit declined below 30%

due to the demand for peak regulation and carbon capture. Consequently

the generating cost has increased significantly

exceeding the subsidy for peak regulation and resulting in financial losses. According to the study

we suggest that with the support of future policies

carbon quotas and carbon markets

high-quality existing coal-fired power units should be transformed to provide flexible adjustment capabilities while low carbon emissions.