200 G. CHEN
Though fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) still make up about
90% of China’s total energy production and consumption, the country
has been formulating one of the world’s most aggressive strategies to
promote low-carbon energy production from renewable sources. As part
of its national effort for energy self-sufficiency and against climate change,
China’s low-carbon electricity strategy is undergoing transformation,
which is sensitive to the dynamics of energy policy prioritization, domestic
supportive policies, geographical characteristics and industrial barriers.
With a carbon-constrained new normal that emissions of greenhouse gases
can no longer be assumed to be costless, renewable energy sources like
wind and solar power have witnessed fast growth in both production and
consumption in China. In promoting the production and sales of solar
and wind power in the context of global climate change, the Chinese
government has been adjusting its policy prioritization from time to
time in targeted growth areas, subsidy amount, on-grid tariffs and other
financial incentives for various low-carbon power sectors. Other variables,
like inherent geographical and meteorological advantages and disadvantages, domestic supporting industries, technological barriers related to
power storage and transmission, have also helped to reshape the country’s
trajectory of renewable energy development.
Considering the exorbitant costs and risks involved in developing lowcarbon energy, China’s progress in promoting non-fossil fuels has been
closely related to the government’s robust support for, and heavy subsidies to, power generation from non-fossil fuel resources like wind power
and solar PV. It’s also a natural extension of the country’s preferred
“no-regret” strategy that emphasizes mitigation actions providing fringe
benefits like profitability and employment to the country, regardless of
whether the threat of climate change is real. “No-regret” options are steps
to reduce greenhouse gases that would pay for themselves even without
a climate change concern. Bringing down energy/carbon intensity and
improving energy efficiency are the main elements of China’s long-term
“no regret” strategy, which implies actions providing fringe benefits to
the country regardless of whether the threat of global warming is real
(Chen 2012, p. xi). For China, such an approach would take as a given
that economic growth remains the top priority (Hatch 2003, p. 55). With
the energy policy long time being positioned at the center of its development strategy, China today has formulated low-carbon policies and targets
to address the dual challenges from ecological problems and national
energy security. When such renewable energy policies were designed,
Though fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) still make up about
90% of China’s total energy production and consumption, the country
has been formulating one of the world’s most aggressive strategies to
promote low-carbon energy production from renewable sources. As part
of its national effort for energy self-sufficiency and against climate change,
China’s low-carbon electricity strategy is undergoing transformation,
which is sensitive to the dynamics of energy policy prioritization, domestic
supportive policies, geographical characteristics and industrial barriers.
With a carbon-constrained new normal that emissions of greenhouse gases
can no longer be assumed to be costless, renewable energy sources like
wind and solar power have witnessed fast growth in both production and
consumption in China. In promoting the production and sales of solar
and wind power in the context of global climate change, the Chinese
government has been adjusting its policy prioritization from time to
time in targeted growth areas, subsidy amount, on-grid tariffs and other
financial incentives for various low-carbon power sectors. Other variables,
like inherent geographical and meteorological advantages and disadvantages, domestic supporting industries, technological barriers related to
power storage and transmission, have also helped to reshape the country’s
trajectory of renewable energy development.
Considering the exorbitant costs and risks involved in developing lowcarbon energy, China’s progress in promoting non-fossil fuels has been
closely related to the government’s robust support for, and heavy subsidies to, power generation from non-fossil fuel resources like wind power
and solar PV. It’s also a natural extension of the country’s preferred
“no-regret” strategy that emphasizes mitigation actions providing fringe
benefits like profitability and employment to the country, regardless of
whether the threat of climate change is real. “No-regret” options are steps
to reduce greenhouse gases that would pay for themselves even without
a climate change concern. Bringing down energy/carbon intensity and
improving energy efficiency are the main elements of China’s long-term
“no regret” strategy, which implies actions providing fringe benefits to
the country regardless of whether the threat of global warming is real
(Chen 2012, p. xi). For China, such an approach would take as a given
that economic growth remains the top priority (Hatch 2003, p. 55). With
the energy policy long time being positioned at the center of its development strategy, China today has formulated low-carbon policies and targets
to address the dual challenges from ecological problems and national
energy security. When such renewable energy policies were designed,