· Ph.D. the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

· M.E.M. Duke University

· B.Eng. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Dr. Rui Shan is an Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. His research lies at the intersection of energy transition, climate policy, and sustainable development, with a particular focus on electricity market decarbonization, carbon footprint analysis, and the design of policies to accelerate just and effective energy transitions.

Dr. Shan has published more than twenty peer-reviewed papers in leading journals such as Energy Policy, Applied Energy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and Energy and Environmental Science. His work often integrates interdisciplinary approaches from engineering, economics, and systems modeling to evaluate the role of emerging technologies and policy in achieving deep decarbonization of power systems. He also acts as the reviewers for leading journals like Nature Energy, Joule and many others. In addition to academic research, he actively engages with policymakers and industry leaders to translate insights into actionable strategies for low-carbon development.

Before joining CUHK-Shenzhen, Dr. Shan founded Carbon Baseline, a consulting firm focused on sustainability, renewable energy, and global expansion. He later served as a Partner at BDO China, where he led the firm’s sustainability and ESG consulting services, providing strategic guidance to publicly listed companies, multinational corporations, and government agencies. His clients have included Envision Energy, Pepsi, AGC Glass, and several local governments in China.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Shan worked as a technical associate staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, supporting decision-making at the U.S. Department of Energy. He also completed a short internship at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva, contributing to chemical management initiatives under the Special Programme. His entry into the sustainability field began at Climate Bridge, where he helped clients apply for and sell carbon emission reduction credits.

Dr. Shan holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where his dissertation focused on policy design for managing flexibility in renewable power systems. He also holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

With cross-sector experience and interdisciplinary expertise, Dr. Shan is committed to bridging academic innovation with real-world impact to support the global shift toward carbon neutrality and sustainable development.

Selected Publications:

Journal Articles

1. Shan, R., & Kittner, N.*, (2025) Sector-Specific Strategies to Increase Green Hydrogen Adoption, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 214, 115491.

2. Tang, J., Shan, R.*, Wang, P., Chen, W., Gu, D., Li, G., Rao, P., Wang, J., & Lu, J.* (2025) Deciphering Decarbonization Trajectories in China through the Carbon Footprint of 1-kWh Electricity, iScience, 111963.

3. Shan, R., & Kittner, N.* (2024). Allocation of policy resources for energy storage development considering the Inflation Reduction Act. Energy Policy, 184, 113861.

4. Zhen,Y., Shan, R.*, Xu, W.*, & Qiu, Y., (2024) Effectiveness of carbon dioxide emission target is linked to country ambition and education level. Communications Earth & Environment, 5, 209

5. Li, M., Ma, Q., Shan, R., Abdulla, A., Virguez, E., Gao, S., & Patiño-Echeverri, D.* (2024) Renewable energy quality trilemma and coincident wind and solar droughts, Communication Earth & Environment, 5(1), 661.

6. Li, M.*, Shan, R., Abdulla, A., Virguez, E., & Gao, S. (2024). The role of dispatchability in China’s power system decarbonization. Energy & Environmental Science,17, 2193-2205

7. Ding, Y., Li, M.*, Abdulla, A., Shan, R.*, Liu, Z., (2023) Unintended consequences of curtailment cap policies on power system decarbonization, iScience, 26(7).

8. Xu, D., Liu, Z., Shan, R.*, Weng, H., & Zhang, H. (2023). How a Grid Company Could Enter the Hydrogen Industry through a New Business Model: A Case Study in China. Sustainability, 15(5), 4417.

9. Lu, J., Tang, J., Shan, R*, Li, G., Rao, P., & Zhang, N., (2023) Spatiotemporal analysis of the future carbon footprint of solar electricity in the United States by a dynamic life-cycle assessment, iScience, 26(3)

10. Li, M.*, Shan, R., Abdulla, A., Tian, J., & Gao, S., (2023) High energy capacity or high power rating: which is the more important performance metric for battery energy storage systems at different penetrations of variable renewables?, Journal of Energy Storage, 59, 106560.

11. Lu, J., Shan, R.*, Kittner, N., Hu, W., & Zhang, N. (2023). Emission reductions from heavy-duty freight electrification aided by smart fleet management. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 121, 103846.

12. Shan, R., Reagan, J., Castellanos, S., Kurtz, S., & Kittner, N.* (2022) Evaluating emerging long-duration energy storage technologies, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 159 (2022): 112240.

13. Li, M.*, Gao, H., Abdulla, A., Shan, R., & Gao, S., (2022) Combined effects of carbon pricing and power market reform on CO2 emissions reduction in China's electricity sector, Energy, 124739.

14. Li, M., Virguez, E., Shan, R., Tian, J., Gao, S., & Patiño-Echeverri, D.* (2022). High-resolution data shows China’s wind and solar energy resources are enough to support a 2050 decarbonized electricity system. Applied Energy, 306, 117996

15. Shan, R*, Abdulla, A, & Li, M, (2021) Deleterious effects of profit-seeking energy storage operation on electric power system costs, Applied Energy 292 (2021): 116833.

16. Li, M., Shan, R., Virguez, E., Patiño-Echeverri, D.*, Gao, S., & Ma, H. (2021). Energy storage reduces costs and emissions even without large penetration of renewable energy: The case of China Southern Power Grid. Energy Policy, 112711.

17. Ding, Y., Li, M.*, Abdulla, A., Shan, R., Gao, S., & Jia, G. (2021). The persistence of flexible coal in a deeply decarbonizing energy system. Environmental Research Letters 16(6), 064043

18. Uría-Martínez, R.*, Johnson, M., and Shan, R. (2020) “Challenges in the Post-Licensing Stage of U.S. Hydropower Development: Current Status and Some Potential Solutions. The Electricity Journal 33(4), 106729.

19. Shan, R.*, Sasthav, C., Wang, X., & Lima, L. M. (2020). Complementary relationship between small hydropower and increasing penetration of solar photovoltaics: Evidence from CAISO. Renewable Energy. 155, 1139-1146

20. Li, M.*, Shan, R., Hernandez, M., Mallampalli, V., & Patiño-Echeverri, D. (2019). Effects of population, urbanization, household size, and income on electric appliance adoption in the Chinese residential sector towards 2050. Applied Energy, 236, 293-306.

21. Shan, R., Zhang, Z., Kan, M., Zhang, T., Zan, Q., & Zhao, Y*. (2015). A novel highly active nanostructured IrO₂/Ti anode for water oxidation. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 40(41), 14279-14283.