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• The PV+HSR system which incorporates station and railway PV systems is proposed. • A techno-economic assessment of PV potential of the Beijing-shanghai high-speed railway is performed. • Case study shows that the PV+HSR system is promising to cover bullet trains' most electricity consumption and achieve high-penetration renewable energy operation. Cities worldwide are stepping up efforts to reshape their infrastructure to ensure a carbon-neutral and sustainable future, leading to the rapid electrification of transportation systems. The electricity demand of this sector, particularly that of high-speed railways, is increasing. Application of the existing infrastructures of railway stations and available land along rail lines for photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation has the potential to power high-speed bullet trains with renewable energy and supply surplus electricity to surrounding users. In this work, a methodology based on a geographic information system was established to evaluate the PV potential along rail lines and on the roofs of train stations. The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway (HSR) was used as a case study. Its total PV potential reached 5.65 GW (of which the station potential accounted for 264 MW, approximately 4.68%, of the total potential), with a lifelong generation capacity of 155 TWh, which corresponds to approximately 12% of the total new installed capacity of China in 2020. Although electricity prices and solar resources differed along the railway line, all PV systems were profitable. Moreover, a comparison between the electricity consumption and generation shows that the PV+HSR system can cover most of the electricity demand of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR without a storage system. This concept can be further expanded to other rail lines and stations. Within the context of global carbon peaks and carbon neutrality, the integration of PV and railway systems should be promoted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Beijing's multiperspective electricity-related carbon emissions are accounted for. • Beijing had a large amount of net inflow of electricity-related carbon emissions. • Hebei and Inner Mongolia contributed most of Beijing's emission net inflow. • The driving forces of Beijing's electricity-related carbon emissions are analyzed. Cities are the main consumers of electricity, and the environmental impact of electricity use in cities has received increasing attention; however, relevant studies focus mainly on carbon emissions from urban power generation and urban direct electricity consumption, and carbon emissions induced by urban indirect electricity consumption are largely ignored. Using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) carbon inventory method, the network approach and the environmentally extended multiregional input–output model, our study quantifies Beijing's production-, supply- and consumption-based electricity-related carbon emissions in 2007–2015. Additionally, methods of decomposition analysis are used to assess the impacts of the driving factors. The results show the following: (1) In 2015, Beijing obtained 45.6 million tons and 38.9 million tons of net inflow of electricity-related carbon emissions through electricity trade and regional trade, respectively. (2) Beijing obtained a large amount of electricity-related carbon emissions by purchasing heavy industrial products from Hebei, while Beijing's electricity-related carbon emissions flowing to Tianjin and Hebei consisted mainly of service industry products. (3) The fuel structure and energy efficiency contributed to the decline in Beijing's production-based emissions. Interprovincial electricity transmission offset the growth of supply-based emissions in Beijing. Improved electricity efficiency and production technology helped reduce consumption-based emissions, and the consumption volume was the major driver of the growth in consumption-based emissions. This study not only enhances our understanding of the environmental impacts associated with urban electricity consumption but also provides a basis for cross-regional environmental responsibility allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]