218 G. CHEN
supervision is quite limited, because the government imposes strict regulations on them. Although many of these NGOs have also become increasingly visible players in China’s energy and environment-related politics,
their roles and functions are still quite restraint under China’s one-party
political systems, and therefore, they are not as strong and influential as
their international peers. The void of effective civic supervision and lobby
activities impedes the enforcement of China’s low-carbon energy ambition and other environmental initiatives, as political and business elites,
who benefit from patronage and income from natural resource rents and
favorable policies, often have little incentive to engage with citizens and
to build effective public authority over energy and environmental issues.
Besides, technical difficulties are also responsible for wind curtailments.
To transfer electricity generated in northwest provinces to energy-hungry
coastal areas in the east, long-distance transmission capacity is needed.
China has decided to upgrade transmission lines and build the world’s
most capable UHV transmission network that can transmit 1000 kilovolts
or more over long distances. A total of 12 such UHV transmission lines
are being built to connect the northwestern provinces and coastal areas.
China is now building the world’s longest UHV line running from the
Changji Prefecture in Xinjiang to Xuancheng city in east China’s Anhui
province. The 3324 km line is designed to accommodate currents of 1100
kilovolts. However, it normally takes at least three years to build a UHV
line, which is also very costly. Intra-province integration within local grids
is a more feasible solution. Local distribution grids can be converted into
smart grids by implementing the latest technology, which helps integrate
more renewable energy while avoiding costly transmission investments.
Conclusions
In the global climate change context, mitigation imperatives, enhanced by
public health concerns over urban smog and PM 2.5 (particulate matter
with diameter ≤ 2.5 micrometers), have pushed the Chinese government
to cut reliance upon high-polluting coal-fired power plants and foster the
development of low-carbon electricity generation. In 2015, China’s solar
energy capacity increased by a massive 74% over the year before, with a
modest gain of 34% in wind. At the same time, China is importing 30%
less coal and consuming 3.7% less overall (National Bureau of Statistics
of China 2016). To fulfill the target of meeting 15% of primary energy
demand with renewables by 2020, the Chinese government has proposed
supervision is quite limited, because the government imposes strict regulations on them. Although many of these NGOs have also become increasingly visible players in China’s energy and environment-related politics,
their roles and functions are still quite restraint under China’s one-party
political systems, and therefore, they are not as strong and influential as
their international peers. The void of effective civic supervision and lobby
activities impedes the enforcement of China’s low-carbon energy ambition and other environmental initiatives, as political and business elites,
who benefit from patronage and income from natural resource rents and
favorable policies, often have little incentive to engage with citizens and
to build effective public authority over energy and environmental issues.
Besides, technical difficulties are also responsible for wind curtailments.
To transfer electricity generated in northwest provinces to energy-hungry
coastal areas in the east, long-distance transmission capacity is needed.
China has decided to upgrade transmission lines and build the world’s
most capable UHV transmission network that can transmit 1000 kilovolts
or more over long distances. A total of 12 such UHV transmission lines
are being built to connect the northwestern provinces and coastal areas.
China is now building the world’s longest UHV line running from the
Changji Prefecture in Xinjiang to Xuancheng city in east China’s Anhui
province. The 3324 km line is designed to accommodate currents of 1100
kilovolts. However, it normally takes at least three years to build a UHV
line, which is also very costly. Intra-province integration within local grids
is a more feasible solution. Local distribution grids can be converted into
smart grids by implementing the latest technology, which helps integrate
more renewable energy while avoiding costly transmission investments.
Conclusions
In the global climate change context, mitigation imperatives, enhanced by
public health concerns over urban smog and PM 2.5 (particulate matter
with diameter ≤ 2.5 micrometers), have pushed the Chinese government
to cut reliance upon high-polluting coal-fired power plants and foster the
development of low-carbon electricity generation. In 2015, China’s solar
energy capacity increased by a massive 74% over the year before, with a
modest gain of 34% in wind. At the same time, China is importing 30%
less coal and consuming 3.7% less overall (National Bureau of Statistics
of China 2016). To fulfill the target of meeting 15% of primary energy
demand with renewables by 2020, the Chinese government has proposed