Search

Green technology innovation meets the dual expectation of innovative development and green development perspectives. Under the canonical demand-pull and policy-push theories, a long-term mechanism for green technology innovation could be formed through upstream policy push and downstream demand-pull. Leveraging China's regional carbon emission trading scheme pilots as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper examines the policy-push and demand-pull effects on innovation in renewable energy patents. The data pertain to the city-level renewable energy patents from 2000 to 2020. Based upon the triple difference-in-difference method, results suggest that both policy-push and demand-pull factors exert positive effects on innovation. This paper further explores the practical and theoretical implications of green technology innovation under the new development perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is the fastest growing energy source. China, the world's biggest energy consumer, is also the largest investor in renewable energy. Although it is expected that oil will continue to dominate the energy mix in China and in the world by 2040, a transition towards a renewable model in the energy sector is unfolding, which has also been acknowledged by international oil companies (IOCs). Then, how the Chinese national oil companies (NOCs) approach such a transition becomes important – to what extent their investment transform and what are the pressures and influences behind the transformation. This paper investigates the positions and decisions taken by the Chinese NOCs, through comparing the similarities and differences between these NOCs and IOCs. A neo-Gramscian theoretical framework that considers environmental governance through dynamics at material, organisational, and discursive levels is used to examine the Chinese NOCs' energy transition. We find that the Chinese NOCs' energy transition is determined by: materially, economic profits; organisationally, the administrative environmental governance structure that copes with the market competition against IOCs and other state-owned companies; and discursively, the political concept of ecological civilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing millennium documents the most adverse consequences of global warming which in contrast to pre-industrial era are more devastating. Thus, these prevailing consequences raise numerous concerns regarding the well-being of future and current generation. Scholars, in this regard, are putting efforts punctiliously towards methods that could halt the surging emissions. This paper also attempts to contributes to existing literature by reporting the empirical evidences regarding the role of energy transition technologies, renewable energy production (REP), trade openness, green investment, and carbon taxes in carbon neutrality in Chinse economy covering the time span of 1980–2020. By employing Dynamic Auto-regressive Distributed Lags (DARDL) model to check the association, findings exposed that electricity production from water sources, electricity production from solar sources, REP, trade openness, green investment, and carbon taxes are negatively correlated with CO2 emissions. Study offers policymakers a help in formulating policies related to achieve carbon neutrality using renewable sources of energy production, carbon taxes, and green investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewable energy industry, in particular, has experienced an immense amount of pressure that has stemmed from the novel COVID-19 pandemic. This study, however, investigates the renewable energy production initiatives that have taken come into place as a reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, using a time series data of China in particular. The study uses the robust ARDL bounds testing approach in order to get sound parameter estimates. The findings of the study reveal that COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced the renewable energy production in China, both in the short and long run. In addition to this, the GDP and trade tend to positively impact the incidence of renewable energy production in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same context, it has been observed that the energy price has a significant and negative impact on renewable energy production, particularly in the long-run, during the pandemic period. Keeping these observations in consideration, it can be asserted that the government should ideally adopt a short-term policy, while mid-term and long-term action plans should be formulated, so as to achieve the renewable energy targets in the future. In this regard, the research implications and future directions have thoroughly been discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explains the energy mix of China's overseas electricity investments across Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) recipient countries. We focus on Indonesia and Pakistan. Our research is based on both newly gathered project-level data and in-depth interviews with stakeholders of Chinese-backed power plants in Indonesia and Pakistan. We examine (1) why Chinese actors are involved in renewable power generation in Pakistan and not in Indonesia, and (2) why Chinese-backed coal-fired projects in Pakistan are cleaner than in Indonesia. We argue that variations along the three dimensions – scope, governance regime, and issue linkage – lead to different energy mixes in Chinese-invested power plants across BRI countries. This framework specifies how supply and demand factors interact across multiple levels regarding the formulation and implementation of China's overseas electricity projects. Our findings shed new light on the environmental implications of BRI projects and the dynamics of renewable energy development in emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of urbanization has accelerated in the recent decades, bringing with it an enormous impact on climate change. This paper examines the relationships between urbanization, energy consumption, and economic growth on carbon dioxide emissions in regions of China during the 1997–2019 period. Additionally, the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis is also examined. The cross-sectional dependence test indicates that no cross-sectional dependence is present in the panel data, and six unit root tests show that all variables are integrated on the order of one, I(1). Results of all cointegration tests provide evidence for a long-term equilibrium in the selected time series data. The fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and the augmented mean group (AMG) estimator indicate that the EKC hypothesis is valid in all regions except Western China. Given its abundant renewable resources, this region can vigorously develop renewable energy and energy storage technology. Moreover, energy consumption can lead to emissions increasing, while it is not certain that urbanization leads to emissions decreasing. Clean technologies for energy and intensive development of urban area should be emphasized. Finally, the results of pairwise Dumitrescu-Hurlin (DH) Panel causality test between each pair of variables are complicated and mixed in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the '13th Five-Year Plan period' (2016-2020), one of the main targets for China's energy strategy is to develop a new generation of power system, integrating high shares of renewable energy sources. This implies that the technology industrialisation of microgrid powered by distributed generation of renewable energy is becoming crucial. This paper carries out a comprehensive study of the status and challenges of developing microgrid, based on case studies of demonstration projects of microgrid in China during different developmental stages. The focus is on the effects of government policies, technical innovations and changes in the business model of electricity market on the promotion of microgrid in China and the reformation of electricity market in China. The ultimate target for the reformation of power system in China is to finish the transformation from a linear business model of centralised power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has become the leading country to develop wind and solar energy industries. By presenting the institutional arrangement and interest constellations of China's regulatory system of renewable energy sectors, this paper argues that the reasons for China's swift expansion of wind and solar energy investment go beyond the notion of a state-led model. It also reveals that due to a series of internal power struggles and external shocks, the current regulatory system is undergoing significant restructuring. A new policy paradigm is emerging that is largely different from the previous decades of policy orientation that centred on capacity expansion and instrumental interests for renewable energy development. The new paradigm would face tremendous challenges from existing institutions and vested interests, and it requires new set of ideologies that can help renewable energy sector to truly competing with the energy incumbents in order to bring about meaningful lowcarbon energy transition in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to expand the existing literature by bringing a new perspective to China's environmental quality. Existing literature concerning China's environmental sustainability disregards competitive industrial performance, which allows the analysis of Sustainable Development Goal-9. The study investigates the impact of competitive industrial performance, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on the environmental quality (represented by load capacity factor) within the load capacity curve framework. Considering the positive and negative shocks in industrial competitiveness, the study runs the novel asymmetric ARDL with Fourier terms method to examine the non-linear connection between competitiveness and the environment. Empirical analysis shows that industrial competitiveness asymmetrically affects environmental quality and that the load capacity curve hypothesis is invalid in China. It is also evident that renewable energy contributes to environmental quality. Based on these findings, the study presents sustainable development policies for China within the framework of SDG targets. In this context, country's rapid growth and higher-order industrial competitiveness strategies need to be redesigned in order to increase the share of high-tech activities in total manufacturing and the portion of renewable energy in total energy use. Accordingly, the Chinese policymakers' primary objectives should be regulations that guide fundamental principles for enhancing environmental quality while preserving the country's rapid growth and competitive advantage in the industrial process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource-based cities (RBC) have made momentous contributions to urbanization in China. However, as natural resources are exhausted, RBC are facing an enormous challenge. In this paper we put forward a resource-based city sustainability index (RCSI) and a resource-based city coordination index (RCCI), including environmental, social, and economic dimensions, adopted three weight scenarios, and selected 13 cities for study. The results: (a) help locate the problems by analyzing both dimensions and indicators; (b) simulate the trends of how RBC emerged, grew, declined, and regenerated; (c) categorize RBC into four types by integrating RCSI and RCCI; (d) give policy makers a holistic and comprehensive perspective in the future urban regulation and management; and (e) highlight a road to sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

History instructs us that electrical power can be decarbonized in less than a dozen years with combinations of renewable and nuclear energy, but exaggerated fears of the latter have made it too costly and unpopular to develop and deploy in much of the world, allowing Russia and China to capture the nuclear export market. If humanity is genuinely serious about rapid decarbonization to avoid the worst health and climate risks, it will need to take steps to rapidly improve and deploy both nuclear and renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developing countries rely heavily on imports of capital goods to spur economic growth. When the economy grows, energy consumption rises, adversely impacting climate change. The low levels of renewable energy share in total energy consumption, developing nations confront a difficult task in achieving the SDGs targets related to an increase in renewable energy share and access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy. Finding solutions to increase renewable energy usage is critical. International trade is an unavoidable part of development, prompting us to consider the impact of imports on renewable energy usage. This study explores the effects of imports of capital goods from China, EU and USA on renewable energy consumption in developing countries by using panel data from 20 countries spanning 2000–2018. It is found that capital goods imported from China in developing countries negatively impact renewable energy consumption while imports from EU have a positive impact on renewable energy consumption. However, in the case of US it is found negative but insignificant. The role of economic, social, and political globalization is explored, and it is found that three types of globalization are positively and significantly linked with renewable energy consumption. Thus, this study recommends that trade policies complement domestic efforts toward increasing renewable energy production and consumption in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDG) is the requirement of the entire globe and needs the attention of recent researchers and regulators. Thus, the current research also investigates the impact of human capital and environmental protection on the SDG of the developed economy like China. The researchers have explored the secondary data sources and collected the data from 1986 to 2019, and used the world development indicators (WDI) for this purpose. The current article also used the augmented dickey-fuller test (ADF) to check the stationarity and autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL) to test the nexus among variables. The results indicated that all the predictors such as human capital index (human capital), renewable energy consumption and renewable energy production (environmental protection) have a negative association with carbon emission and a positive association with SDG. The outcomes also indicated that control variables such as economic growth and population growth have a positive association with carbon emission. These outcomes provide the guidelines to the regulators while developing policies related to sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the fossil fuels are the principal energy sources across the globe, it is considered as the major reason for environmental degradation. Although, the fossil fuel consumption contributes to maintain industrial production, which is a key factor of economic growth, yet tourism is also among the key sources of revenue for China in the pre-Covid-19 pandemic. However, after the emergence of this novel pandemic, both fossil fuel consumption and tourism are severely affected that slowdowns China's economic progress and could have influence on environmental quality. This study investigates the impact of traditional fossil fuel, economic growth, and tourism on carbon emissions level in China over the period 1995–2020. Using time series estimating approaches, all the variables are found stationary at first difference. Due to irregular distribution of data, this study employed the novel Quantile-on-Quantile regression. The estimated results reveal that consumption of fossil fuel significantly enhances the level of carbon emissions in China. Whereas the impact of economic growth and tourism on carbon emission is mixed. The influence of both the variables is found positive in the lower and medium quantiles, while negative in the upper quantiles. This study also employed the pairwise Granger causality test, that validates two-way causal nexus between fossil fuel consumption—carbon emission and economic growth—carbon emissions. While one way causality from tourism to carbon emissions is evident in the empirical results. This study suggests lowering of fossil fuel consumption by using the alternative energy sources and increase tourism stringent environmental regulations for environmentally destructive tourism activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clean development mechanism (CDM) could play an important role in the power generation sector of developing countries and emerging economies by providing additional revenue to support the diffusion of renewable energy sources (RES). This paper investigates the contribution of the CDM to deployment of renewable electricity projects in China and India, and highlights the main potentialities and limitations of this mechanism for their support. The outcome of our analysis shows many differences and similarities in the way and scale of CDM projects for renewable electricity generation have been implemented in the two countries. In both cases, the CDM has made a contribution to greening investments in the power generation sector, which is still largely dominated by subcritical coal-fuelled power plants. Nonetheless, some major problems still remain and they are mainly related to the distribution of projects across different technologies and to the environmental integrity of the mechanism. In view of the likely revision of the CDM in the post-Kyoto period, we find that the differentiation of the credit generation rate of different project categories could bring some level of improvement without significantly altering the current system functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Before the US financial crisis that began in 2008, China was the 'factory' of the world, utilizing energy intensively for such processes as steelmaking, papermaking and concrete production. As such, energy emissions in China increased dramatically until 2007, with much of the energy being provided by the labor-intensive coal industry. Under the 11th five-year plan, China resolved to increase its energy efficiency, setting out to reduce energy consumption while continuing to increase economic growth, and to increase the usage of 'green' technologies to 15% of all energy used by 2020. The Renewable Energy Law of 2007 set a guideline for China's energy reduction goals, to quadruple the national GDP while only doubling the country's electricity usage by the year 2020. Currently, there are virtually no studies on the employment effects of a 'green' transition to explore what impact the current energy goals, or potentially 'greener' energy goals, would have on China's labor force. This paper seeks to analyze the effects on employment of a 'green' transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the world, with potentially about two thirds of total Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) for Asia on the world carbon market (Gruetter, 2002). Since 68% of its primary energy is from coal, China's average energy intensity is 7.5 times higher than the EU and 4.3 times higher than the US (EU, 2003). Therefore, introducing advanced clean technologies and management to China represents opportunities for Annex I countries to obtain low-cost CERs through CDM projects, and access to one of the largest potential energy conservation markets in the world. CDM can provide a win-win solution for both China and Annex I countries, and the Chinese government considers that the introduction of CDM projects can bring advanced energy technologies and foreign investment to China, thereby helping China's sustainable economy and generating CERs. As energy efficiency is generally low and carbon intensity is high in both China's energy supply and demand sectors, numerous options exist for cost-effective energy conservation and GHG mitigation with CDM. This paper reviews current Chinese policies and administrative and institutional settings for CDM cooperation, and discusses existing policy, institutional and other barriers in the energy market by drawing on observations and experience from previous initiatives such as Cleaner Production and energy efficiency. Some options to remove these barriers are addressed. In order to make CDM projects feasible, China's government needs to promote awareness, streamline administrative systems, and be more active in building a competitive edge in the world carbon market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South China Sea disputes pose huge energy insecurity to China and Southeast Asian nations, threatening their vital Sea Lines of Communication. This study explores the ongoing conflicts in the South China Sea through Womack's Asymmetry theory of international relations. It contributes to the theory by suggesting ways to improve regional cooperation by adapting to new and renewable energy sources, such as offshore wind. The disparity of capacity among littorals in the South China Sea has created systemic misperception. How China can make amends with these countries by aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and bridging the asymmetry in the region becomes the key research question. This study analyses the existing international environmental agreements applicable in the South China Sea based on the issuing agency, China as a signatory, legality, and the nature of the agreement. It has been observed that the existing international agreements are ineffective in creating geopolitical symmetry. Our proposal of using offshore wind energy as a cooperative sustainable development tool to bridge the asymmetry can encourage cooperation for knowledge, technology, and practice sharing ensuring peace and cooperation in South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy adoption is a complicated process that is influenced by a multitude of different factors. Previous studies seldom examine the social acceptance of renewable energy from the Chinese perspective in Shandong province. To bridge this gap, comprehensive research is crucial to find the public attitude towards renewable energy. We extended the theory of planned behavior by incorporating three additional factors, i.e., risk perception, environmental concern, and belief about renewable energy costs. A questionnaire survey was conducted in the four major cities of Shandong province. The Logit model was used to determine possible factors affecting public acceptance. Research findings reveal that residents significantly support renewable energy regarding its positive environmental impact. Individuals' education, personal income, awareness and belief of renewable energy consumption cost positively affect their intention to utilize renewable energy, as the willingness to pay increases with an increase in these factors while decreasing with individuals' age. Young people with higher education and income are willing to pay extra for green energy. Research results emphasized the importance of enhancing public awareness and highlighting renewable energy benefits to win public acceptance of renewable energy deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2015, China joined 190 plus nations at Paris in committing to the goal of limiting the rise in global average temperature to ‘well below’ 2°C. Carbon budget analysis indicates that goal will require not only that the European Union and US reduce their emissions by greater than 80% by 2050, but that China at least comes close to doing so as well, if any budget is to be left over for the rest of the world (RoW). Given that RoW emissions are, and will come from, low-income and emerging nations, China’s emission reduction potential is of no small consequence. In this paper, we use the Kaya identity to back out changes in the drivers of CO2 emissions, including gross domestic product (GDP), energy intensity (E/GDP) and the carbon content of energy (C/E), the latter two calculated to be consistent with China’s long-term GDP growth rate forecasts and specified 2050 CO2 emission reduction targets. Our results suggest that even achieving China’s highly optimistic renewable energy targets will be very far from sufficient to reduce China’s CO2 emissions from 9.1 Gt it emitted in 2015 to much below 3 Gt by 2050. Even reducing its emissions to 5 Gt will be challenging, yet this falls far short of what is needed if the world is to meet its ‘well below’ 2°C commitment. Key policy insights Under the Paris Agreement there is great pressure on China to very substantially reduce its emissions by 2050. While China has attached great importance to renewables and nuclear energy development, even achieving the most optimistic targets would not be sufficient to reduce China’s emissions from 9.1 Gt in 2015 to much below 3 Gt by 2050. China’s emission reduction potential falls far short of what is needed if the world is to meet its Paris ‘well below’ 2°C commitment, even if the EU and US reduce their emissions to zero by 2050. Emission cuts consistent with the Paris Agreement will require that China and the world give much greater weight to advancing research and development of scalable low-, zero- and negative-carbon sources and technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building a new type of power system with wind and solar as the dominant body of sources is expected to play the key role for China to achieve carbon neutrality. Transiting from the fossil fuel dominating power system to a renewable dominating system requires both the technology progress and the institutional changes. The total direct investment cost of China's power system decarbonization is estimated to be about 67.6 trillion yuan, which consists of new wind and solar power capacity, energy storage facilities, and transmission lines. The electricity storage technology is the key factor to affect the transitional costs. Meanwhile, institutional changes are needed to adapt to the high penetration of wind and solar to cope with the new challenges the renewable brings, namely the flexibility, adequacy and affordability. China's market-oriented reform should move to the direction of establishing a real unified national market system to achieve the integration of high percentage of renewables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy development is essential to energy structure transition and environmental emission reduction, and promoting renewable energy development via green financial instruments has been an effective approach to attain the objective of carbon neutrality in China. This research explores the bi-directional cointegration relationship between green finance and renewable energy development by adopting provincial data of China from 2005 to 2018. Results indicate a long-run bi-directional comovement exist between green finance and renewable energy development. This cointegration relationship appears in the eastern and central provinces of China, but is absent for western provinces. The pooled mean group estimators show that green finance cannot promote renewable energy development in the short run, whereas it does so in the long run for both the eastern and central provinces. Our research presents implications for emerging economies to initiate and design green financial instruments and renewable energy measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unflinching surge in global warming has left the world in ecological chaos. Consequently, governments across the globe are committing to achieving decarbonizing the environment with a target aimed at 2050, of which China is a key player. In effect, this study seeks to contribute to the strides by querying the extent to which shocks in technological innovation make or mar the sustainability of the Chinese environment from 1990 to 2019. The other impacts of foreign direct investment, renewable and nonrenewable energy, and economic growth are considered in the model estimated through nonlinear ARDL robust for ascertaining instantaneous positive and negative effects. The results reveal that technological innovation promotes and hinders environmental sustainability based on the positive and negative shocks, respectively, whereas the adverse shocks impede it. Besides, economic growth and nonrenewable energy turn out to be negative predictors of environmental sustainability while renewable energy and FDI facilitate it. The results of the Fourier Toda Yamamoto corroborate the NARDL results. The EKC hypothesis is not validated for China based on estimates from the novel Itkonen (2012) approach. Following the empirical results, practicable policy insights toward sustaining the environment in China and beyond are formulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2013, China launched its domestic pilot emissions trading scheme (ETS) as a cost-effective strategy to reduce CO2emissions. Theoretically, the ETS can interact with the feed-in tariffs (FITs) applied to renewable energies (REN). This article presents a simple method to demonstrate how FITs can be adjusted based on the evolution of ETS carbon prices in order to provide a cost-effective climate policy package in China. First, by using provincial data and wind and solar power as examples, it calculates the implicit carbon prices that FITs generate in different Chinese provinces and finds that they are much higher than current carbon prices in the pilot ETS. This shows the necessity of using both instruments to guarantee current level incentives to develop REN for climate change purposes, at least in the short and medium terms. Second, by keeping the annual total carbon price level stable (the sum of the implicit FIT carbon price and the ETS carbon price), and taking into account the cost evolution of REN development, this article demonstrates, for the 2018–2020 period, that FIT should decrease at an annual rate of 3.04–4.63% (for wind) and 7.84–8.87% (for solar) based on different growth rates for progressive national ETS carbon prices. Policy relevance There are a number of studies and debates on the interactions between climate policies in Europe in particular, ETS and subsidies for REN. The key issue is that a climate policy package should be cost-efficient and the implementation of one policy should not jeopardise the performance of another. For a country like China, a considerable scale effect on climate target achievement and total cost savings could be produced by the careful design of the climate policy package. FIT and ETS, which are cost-efficient policies if implemented separately, will very probably constitute a major climate policy package in the future in China, which is aiming to limit the use of command-and-control policies. So far, there is some debate on how to reduce FIT for wind power in China due to development cost changes. But discussions are lacking on the linkage between FIT and ETS. This paper fills this gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can public agencies efficient facilitate sustainable energy strategies that can be used to increase the efficiency of global climate policy? We focus on the specific case of climate partnership between Denmark, a global leader within wind power, and China, the world's largest CO2 emitter. Based on theory and empirical data, we argue that the strategy of climate partnership can help both partners obtain a more sustainable energy policy with a larger positive effect on climate change as well as increase the income of both state and businesses through an increased level of green exports. The climate partnership model between Denmark and China, as facilitated by the Danish Energy Agency, creates such a win-win situation supported by the main stakeholders. This low-cost policy suggests that public agencies worldwide such as the European External Action Service (EEAS) should expand the number of such efficient climate partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – China's multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure program across 138 countries and counting – has provoked concern among observers that China is exporting its polluting model of development. Others, however, claim that the BRI is well-positioned to drive "green development" through investments in low-carbon infrastructure and technologies. This review article argues that discussions about "greening" the BRI can overlook the politics that infuse how green development is conceptualized and implemented, and for whose benefit. Taking a political ecology approach, I distinguish between green BRI activities that invest in low-carbon infrastructure and those that mitigate environmental risk – the latter of which are often selectively enforced, leading to "greenwashing." I then apply this distinction to three key sectors of the green BRI: green finance, green energy, and green cooperation mechanisms. I find that low-carbon investments are currently concentrated in higher-income countries and regions, while risk mitigation activities are currently concentrated in lower-income countries and regions. This article thus highlights the need for attention to how the green BRI is defined and implemented, with implications for efforts toward building an equitable and sustainable Belt and Road. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rationality of natural gas price has a significant impact on a nation's energy-saving strategies, emission reduction, and therefore the overall economy. This article examines the rationality of the natural gas pricing strategies in China through an investigation of the natural gas price distortions in domestic and international markets and the natural gas price determining factors using a Bayesian structural equation model. It is found that there are significant distortions in the industrial, residential, and commercial sectors compared to alternative energy sources. Further analysis suggests that these distortions could cause a "reverse substitution" in the domestic energy market. Compared to the international market, Chinese natural gas prices are found to be expensive and to lack price elasticity. The results also indicate that economic activities and demand are the most important natural gas price determinants, followed by supply and alternative fuel prices. This article provides empirical evidence to assist in natural gas pricing reforms in China and presents a basis for the design of reasonable energy pricing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a globalized world, emerging economies are faced with competition from technologically leading countries, which poses particular challenges for development. The Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) approach is employed to compare the innovation systems for wind energy in China and Brazil. In both countries, wind energy has recently gained in importance for the national energy system and TIS have emerged to support this development. Researchers interested in TIS formation in emerging economies have stressed the importance of international technology linkages, thus special attention is paid to such linkages between local and global actors as well as to the use of domestic versus foreign technology. Although both countries are latecomers in the industry, the way of balancing foreign and domestic technology and the resulting configuration of the TIS differs widely. In the case of China, the balance gradually shifted from foreign to domestic technology, supported by a fine-tuned and adaptive design of the relevant policy mix. In contrast, Brazil is highly reliant on the inflow of foreign technology, but was successful in attracting foreign direct investment and building a domestic supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of China's photovoltaic (PV) industry, and the concomitant curtailment problem, provides an opportunity to reconsider China's industrial governance. It is argued here that the curtailment is intertwined with the multi-level character of China's energy governance. Borrowing the insights of multi-level governance (MLG), we identify the relevant stakeholders situated at different levels and clarify their positions and considerations concerning the solar PV industry. MLG analysis reveals that curtailment in China's solar PV industry was primarily the result of uncoordinated development at different levels - sub-provincial, provincial, national, and international. China's response to the curtailment problem is then examined, considering whether such policy adjustments will contribute to greater societal participation, changes in development ideas, an improved coordination mechanism, or alternative institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable differences in their level of social and economic development, China and Europe both face the challenges of energy insecurity and environmental degradation. Given their shared sustainable development objectives and the complementarity of their comparative advantages, the two have great potential for cooperation, which should provide both the motivation and capabilities to cooperate in relevant areas. However, there are a number of barriers and impediments at both the macro- and micro-levels. China and Europe should focus their joint efforts on several key areas of feasible renewable energy sector cooperation, including strengthening institutional links, facilitating bilateral investment and coordinating positions and actions in multilateral settings. Concrete cooperation in the renewable energy sector can cement the China-EU strategic partnership, thereby bringing benefits to both sides and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dependence on natural gas and oil as the main energy carriers has led to serious economic crisis and climate changes, especially in developing countries like China. Among the different renewable biomass materials currently available for power generation, agricultural residue is one of the feedstocks receiving more attention from researchers in the field of energy and agricultural science, probably due to its availability, low price, and socioeconomic advantages. In this work, a detailed study of various scenarios for electricity production such as combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification was carried out. After a detailed comparison, it was found that the gasification process is a better energy system for electricity production because of its total cost and environmental problems are lower than those of other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a large panel dataset that covers 116 countries and 62 renewable energy products over the period 2000–2012, this study evaluates the effects of trade liberalization on the export expansion of China’s renewable energy products. The results reveal that trade liberalization plays a crucial role in encouraging the exports of renewable energy products. Specifically, tariff reduction, in general, not only encourages the entry into new export markets, but also induces an increase in the volume of renewable energy products already traded. In addition, the positive effects of trade liberalization are more pronounced for foreign-owned exporters than for state-owned or privately-owned exporters. Also, the ways in which trade liberalization promotes exports of renewable energy products differ by the type, destination or origin of the renewable goods being exported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a population of 1·2 billion, 80% of which are living in rural areas. The energy supply and consumption in Chinese rural areas plays an important role in the national energy system. The present paper focuses on the production and consumption of straw resources in rural areas in Jiangsu Province, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission reduction could be achieved through extensive cooperation between relevant groups such as businesses, governments and consumers. Generally, carbon emissions stem from consumer behaviour. To tackle the increasingly serious energy crisis and climate change in China, it is thus vital to control carbon emissions generated by the country's urban consumers. From a consumption perspective, we utilize a self-organizing feature map model to analyse the spatial differentiation of per capita embedded carbon footprint (ECF) in urban China. We found that the spatial differentiation is significant with the per capita ECF of the east coastal area at a high level and that per capita disposable income is the key factor affecting ECF. Based on these findings, potential business opportunities to develop low-carbon products are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study tests the contention in the Asian business systems literature that interacting with global managers and increasing experience via international education are ways by which Asian firms enroll in global networks, thus potentially leading to changes in their broader network contingencies. Chinese solar PV firms are examined given the competitiveness of Chinese products in the global marketplace and the importance being placed on solar energy domestically as China confronts increasing pressure to protect its environment and control pollution while meeting mounting energy needs. Results indicate an emphasis on extra-firm institutional network relationships both within and outside of China for all firms, characteristic of a bourgeoning energy sector. A unique result is that buyer–supplier networks are spatially influenced by extra-local managerial education. Enrolling in wider networks also matters as firms with internationally educated managers have more non-mainland Chinese managers, which mitigates traditional management practices at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although formal law plays an increasing role in water governance in China, the political arena has a large influence upon it. This article seeks to provide a new perspective to understand water governance and what role formal laws play during China’s transition phase through the lens of the ‘Captain of the River’, a newly developed water governance instrument in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the dynamic relationships among output, carbon emission and renewable energy generation of India and China during the period 1972 to 2011 using a multivariate vector error correction model (VECM). The results for India reveal unidirectional short-run causality from carbon emission to renewable energy generation and from renewable energy generation to output, whereas in the long run, the variables have bidirectional causality. Causalities in China give a rather different scenario, with a short-run unidirectional causality from output to renewable energy and from carbon emission to renewable energy generation. In the long run, for China, unidirectional causality is found from output to renewable energy generation, while bidirectional causality is found between carbon emission and renewable energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

China has considered it imperative to address its energy needs and environmental challenges through the use of renewable energy. The promulgation of the Renewable Energy Law in 2005 created impetus for the development of renewable energy in the electricity sector Investment in renewable energy in China is attractive owing to legally established support schemes. However there are challenges with the design and implementation of the schemes. There are also challenges such as grid issues and access, poor enforcement mechanisms, proliferation of incentives and regulations, local content and protectionist measures. Proactive legislative measures will need to be put in place to address the challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coal-fired power structure in China will transform to clean and efficient energy power. Based on the long-range energy alternatives planning system, this article establishes a LEAP-China-Electricity model to simulate different electric power planning policy scenarios that could be enacted from 2010 to 2050. In addition to a baseline scenario, carbon capture and storage and nuclear priority scenarios are designed. CO2emissions and total costs are compared, and the environmental and economic impacts of different scenarios are further analyzed. The sensitivity analysis and environmental assessment can provide useful planning recommendations for China's future power development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growth of China's maritime power, China's ocean policy has caught the attention of the world community. People may wonder what China's ocean policy is, how it is made, and through what kind of mechanisms. This article will discuss and assess China's basic ocean policy and ocean policymaking process as well as some remaining issues in that process. China's relevant ocean laws and regulations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the world, tremendous progresses have been made for renewable energy technologies. They are anticipated to replace the traditional fossil fuels in the not too distant future to meet the growth of the global energy demand and environmental problems relating to fossil energy utilization. Hainan Island is facing many energy and environmental problems because of the sudden increase of human activities and rapid economic development. It is necessary and urgent to engage in research on the sustainable energy supply systems in Hainan. This article analyzes the current energy situation of Hainan province, investigates the potential renewable energy sources in the island, and the remaining issues with regard to energy policy and economic barriers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the use of biogas generation as a renewable energy resource in China. Diffusion of biogas production across Chinese provinces; Details of the biogas digesters used; Benefits of biogas.