• CERAWeek
  • March 18 - 22, 2024

Xizhou Zhou

S&P Global

Vice President, Power & Renewables

Xizhou Zhou is a vice president in the Climate & Sustainability Group at S&P Global Commodity Insights and leads the company’s power and renewables practice globally. Xizhou has expertise in power and renewable market fundamentals analysis and forecasting, power market design and policy analysis, renewable energy business models, and company strategies, among other areas. He previously headed the firm's Power, Gas, Coal, and Renewables practice in Asia Pacific while based in Beijing, where he significantly expanded the group's research and consulting coverage across the region with new teams established in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Delhi, Penang, and Brisbane. Xizhou began his career at S&P Global through one of its predecessor companies, Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA), as part of its Emerging Markets and Global Power groups in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Before that, he worked as a consultant on regulatory economics for Industrial Economics, Inc. in Boston and as a research analyst at the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and proficient in Spanish, Mr. Zhou also serves as an editorial board member of China Petroleum Society's official journal, Guoji Shiyou Jingji (International Petroleum Economics). He is currently based in Washington, DC. Xizhou holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Environmental Management, both from Yale University in the United States.

Sessions With Xizhou Zhou

Tuesday, 12 March

Wednesday, 13 March

  • 11:30am - 12:30pm (CST) / -

    Developing Gas-to-Power & the LNG Value Chain in Asia

    Panel Gas Power

    Asia’s electricity demand continues to surge, and an “all-of-the-above” strategy appears to have emerged as countries are investing in all forms of electric power generation. For the global gas and LNG industry, the future of gas-fired power is a big question for future gas supply and demand. In many parts of Asia, gas faces cost competitiveness challenges, but it is considered a greener fuel with an environmental premium over coal. At the same time, it requires significant value chain development and investment—from regasification terminals to pipelines—as well as stable gas supply. Which markets are moving faster to develop new gas-fired power plants in emerging Asia? What are the key opportunities and challenges facing gas-for-power? Is there a case for integrated value chain development from gas/LNG resource procurement to downstream infrastructure investment?

  • 04:30pm - 05:30pm (CST) / -

Thursday, 14 March

  • 07:30am - 08:45am (CST) / -

    Positioning Renewables in Asia: Finding the right policy mix

    Panel Power Geopolitics/Energy Policy/Economics Climate/Environment/Sustainability

    As countries grapple with the increased emphasis for a low-carbon pathway, renewable power development is a fast-growing sector that offers the promise of zero emissions for their electricity needs. Policies are changing rapidly, with many countries abandoning feed-in-tariffs for an auction system that resulted in eye-catching offers for new power purchase agreements. What are some of the developments accelerating renewable adoption in Asia? How will markets adapt their power systems to accommodate more renewables when they have traditionally been built to support thermal generation units? As project developers seek capital, how will the roles of local and international banks evolve in this new environment? What are some of the changing policies accelerating renewable adoption in Asia’s fuel mix?

  • 06:10pm - 06:40pm (CST) / -

    Why Power Costs Vary Globally: Technologies & fuels

    Panel Power Technology/Innovation

    Solar and wind power costs globally have dropped rapidly during the past decade. Renewable project tender prices and feed-in tariffs are also dropping across the world. Many believe aggressive cost declines are still possible and will likely allow renewables to reach parity with conventional power very soon. How will technological development, scale of manufacturing, and local development experience build-up continue to affect costs for wind and solar? When should we expect renewable costs to become competitive with thermal generation costs? Will storage cost fall fast enough to allow system-wide costs of firm renewable power also reach parity with conventional power?