Wind and solar resources in China are predominantly located in the Gobi Desert region. Under the global warming, extreme temperatures are becoming more frequent and intense, considering the influences of extreme temperatures to achieve technical feasibility, high economic competitiveness, and high emission reduction are important to policymakers and investors. This study quantifies the impacts of fixed-threshold extreme temperatures ( \(\ge\) 35°C for extreme high temperature and \(\le\) -20°C for extreme low temperature) on the technical and economic potential of wind and solar energy, and the consequent carbon mitigation losses in China’s Gobi Desert region. Results suggest that, while extreme temperatures could cause moderate average technical potential losses (0.26% for wind energy and 0.28% for solar energy), they induce severe economic potential reductions by increasing the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), averaging 12.3% for wind energy and 47.5% for solar energy. Consequently, the estimated annual carbon emission reductions are significantly diminished—by an average of 155.36 tons for wind and 788.79 tons for solar—when considering the combined effects of extreme temperatures on power generation efficiency and economic cost. These findings underscore the critical need to incorporate extreme weather and climate events into renewable energy planning to ensure realistic assessments of development potential and decarbonization contributions.
