IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v67y2014icp903-912.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The erratic path of the low-carbon transition in China: Evolution of solar PV policy

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Sufang
  • Andrews-Speed, Philip
  • Ji, Meiyun

Abstract

The last twenty years have seen the growth of both solar PV manufacturing capacity and deployment in China, yet this growth has followed a very erratic path. This study applies the concept of socio-technical regime to identify factors which have made this path so erratic. We examine four stages in China's solar PV policy from mid-1990s to 2013 and show that each is characterized by different combinations of policy program. These changes in government policy and in the resultant trajectory of the solar PV sector are attributed to three main sets of variables. The most important of these are events which shape the wider policy priorities of China's government. Secondary factors include the government's poor management of the policy interaction between the domestic solar PV manufacturing industry and the deployment of solar PV across the country, as well as policy learning within government. The general lesson from this study is that the development path of a single element of a national strategy for the low-carbon transition is likely to be erratic, subject as it is to a range of political and economic forces, and to experimentation and learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Sufang & Andrews-Speed, Philip & Ji, Meiyun, 2014. "The erratic path of the low-carbon transition in China: Evolution of solar PV policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 903-912.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:67:y:2014:i:c:p:903-912
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.12.063
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142151301327X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.12.063?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Felix Groba & Jing Cao, 2015. "Chinese Renewable Energy Technology Exports: The Role of Policy, Innovation and Markets," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 60(2), pages 243-283, February.
    2. Smith, Adrian & Stirling, Andy & Berkhout, Frans, 2005. "The governance of sustainable socio-technical transitions," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(10), pages 1491-1510, December.
    3. Geels, Frank W. & Schot, Johan, 2007. "Typology of sociotechnical transition pathways," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 399-417, April.
    4. Liu, Dawei & Shiroyama, Hideaki, 2013. "Development of photovoltaic power generation in China: A transition perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 782-792.
    5. Zhang, Sufang & Andrews-Speed, Philip & Zhao, Xiaoli & He, Yongxiu, 2013. "Interactions between renewable energy policy and renewable energy industrial policy: A critical analysis of China's policy approach to renewable energies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 342-353.
    6. Grau, Thilo & Huo, Molin & Neuhoff, Karsten, 2012. "Survey of photovoltaic industry and policy in Germany and China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 20-37.
    7. Bhattacharyya, Subhes C. & Ohiare, Sanusi, 2012. "The Chinese electricity access model for rural electrification: Approach, experience and lessons for others," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 676-687.
    8. Liu, Li-qun & Wang, Zhi-xin, 2009. "The development and application practice of wind-solar energy hybrid generation systems in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(6-7), pages 1504-1512, August.
    9. Liu, Jialu & Goldstein, Don, 2013. "Understanding China's renewable energy technology exports," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 417-428.
    10. Zhao, Ruirui & Shi, Guang & Chen, Hongyu & Ren, Anfu & Finlow, David, 2011. "Present status and prospects of photovoltaic market in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 2204-2207, April.
    11. Liu, Li-qun & Wang, Zhi-xin & Zhang, Hua-qiang & Xue, Ying-cheng, 2010. "Solar energy development in China--A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 301-311, January.
    12. Shyu, Chian-Woei, 2012. "Rural electrification program with renewable energy sources: An analysis of China’s Township Electrification Program," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 842-853.
    13. Zhang, Sufang & He, Yongxiu, 2013. "Analysis on the development and policy of solar PV power in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 393-401.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Sufang & He, Yongxiu, 2013. "Analysis on the development and policy of solar PV power in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 393-401.
    2. Kejia Yang & Johan Schot & Bernhard Truffer, 2020. "Shaping the Directionality of Sustainability Transitions: The Diverging Development Patterns of Solar PV in Two Chinese Provinces," SPRU Working Paper Series 2020-14, SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School.
    3. Yuan, Jiahai & Sun, Shenghui & Zhang, Wenhua & Xiong, Minpeng, 2014. "The economy of distributed PV in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 939-949.
    4. Zhang, Fang & Deng, Hao & Margolis, Robert & Su, Jun, 2015. "Analysis of distributed-generation photovoltaic deployment, installation time and cost, market barriers, and policies in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 43-55.
    5. Ming, Zeng & Shaojie, Ouyang & Hui, Shi & Yujian, Ge, 2015. "Is the “Sun” still hot in China? The study of the present situation, problems and trends of the photovoltaic industry in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 1224-1237.
    6. Ruyin Long & Wenhua Cui & Qianwen Li, 2017. "The Evolution and Effect Evaluation of Photovoltaic Industry Policy in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-40, November.
    7. Tancr�de Voituriez & Xin Wang, 2015. "Real challenges behind the EU-China PV trade dispute settlement," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(5), pages 670-677, September.
    8. Curran, Louise & Lv, Ping & Spigarelli, Francesca, 2017. "Chinese investment in the EU renewable energy sector: Motives, synergies and policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 670-682.
    9. Song, Dongdong & Jiao, Hongtao & Fan, Chien Te, 2015. "Overview of the photovoltaic technology status and perspective in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 848-856.
    10. Shubbak, Mahmood H., 2019. "The technological system of production and innovation: The case of photovoltaic technology in China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 993-1015.
    11. Capellán-Pérez, Iñigo & Campos-Celador, Álvaro & Terés-Zubiaga, Jon, 2018. "Renewable Energy Cooperatives as an instrument towards the energy transition in Spain," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 215-229.
    12. Funcke, Simon & Bauknecht, Dierk, 2016. "Typology of centralised and decentralised visions for electricity infrastructure," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 67-74.
    13. Hellsmark, Hans & Hansen, Teis, 2020. "A new dawn for (oil) incumbents within the bioeconomy? Trade-offs and lessons for policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    14. Pradeep Racherla & Munir Mandviwalla, 2013. "Moving from Access to Use of the Information Infrastructure: A Multilevel Sociotechnical Framework," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 709-730, September.
    15. Gottschamer, L. & Zhang, Q., 2016. "Interactions of factors impacting implementation and sustainability of renewable energy sourced electricity," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 164-174.
    16. Xue, Jinlin, 2017. "Photovoltaic agriculture - New opportunity for photovoltaic applications in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    17. Alessandro Grimaldi & Antonio Lopolito & Massimo Monteleone & Piergiuseppe Morone & Maurizio Prosperi, 2009. "Wp 6: Modelling Stakeholder Interplay And Policy Scenarios For Biorefinery And Biodiesel Production," Quaderni DSEMS 02-2009, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, Matematiche e Statistiche, Universita' di Foggia.
    18. Mock, Mirijam & Omann, Ines & Polzin, Christine & Spekkink, Wouter & Schuler, Julia & Pandur, Vlad & Brizi, Ambra & Panno, Angelo, 2019. "“Something inside me has been set in motion”: Exploring the psychological wellbeing of people engaged in sustainability initiatives," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1-11.
    19. Geels, Frank W., 2012. "A socio-technical analysis of low-carbon transitions: introducing the multi-level perspective into transport studies," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 471-482.
    20. Markard, Jochen & Truffer, Bernhard, 2008. "Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: Towards an integrated framework," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 596-615, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:67:y:2014:i:c:p:903-912. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.