The decarbonization of power systems has become a critical focus of electricity policy, particularly for rapidly developing economies like China. With a significant share of global carbon emissions, China’s transition to a low-carbon electricity system is vital for achieving international climate goals. This transition presents unique challenges and opportunities for legislative, policy, and market reform, calling for valuable lessons from pioneering countries that have made big strides in decarbonizing electricity, notably in the UK and European Union.

This topical collection of Energy and Climate Management seeks to explore the multifaceted challenges and strategies for continuing and accelerating the decarbonization of the power system, both in China and Europe. The guest editorial team invites original research papers focusing on, but not limited to, the following aspects of energy systems:

• Policy design for attracting renewable investment (especially Contract for Difference and other policies to reduce risks to private investors)
• Market reforms related to geography, including locational pricing (and its possible relationship to provincial pricing and interprovincial trade in China)
• Economic and technical evaluation of electricity system decarbonization
• Policy challenges and potential solutions for electricity markets with high and rising shares of variable renewables
• Policy frameworks and regulatory mechanisms supporting low-carbon power systems
• Regulatory governance, institutional frameworks, and enforcement mechanisms supporting effective low-carbon electricity systems
• Innovations in grid management and policies for energy storage and demand-side flexibility

Guest Editors:

Professor Michael Grubb
Institute for Sustainable Resources, UCL, London, United Kingdom
Areas of Expertise: Energy innovation and transformation, UK electricity market design

Professor Songli Zhu
Energy Research Institute, China Academy of Macroeconomic Research, Beijing, China
Areas of Expertise: Mitigation policy analysis in the energy sector.

Professor Da Zhang
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
Areas of Expertise: Energy modeling and climate policy

Dr. Pu Yang
Institute for Sustainable Resources, UCL, London, United Kingdom
Areas of Expertise: Integrated modelling and energy transition

Dr. Ying Zhou
Tsinghua University and China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, China
Areas of Expertise: Electricity markets, renewable certificates and trading

Max Collett
Centre for Net Zero Market Design, UCL, London, United Kingdom
Areas of Expertise: Electricity markets in China and the UK

Submission Guidelines:
Submissions address: https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/jecm
Journal homepage: https://www.sciopen.com/journal/3006-9203
E-mail: ecm@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Contact way: B608C, Xueyan Building, Shuangqing Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China
Tel: +86-10-8470577
Guide for Authors will be helpful for your future contributions, read more: Guide for authors
All accepted articles will be published in a regular issue. Upon acceptance, the individual paper will go into production immediately and then be published online. 

Important Dates:
Call for papers: April 2025;
Manuscript submission deadline: 31 July 2025;
Publication online: 31 December 2025