Governing Sustainable Energies in China PDF
Preview Governing Sustainable Energies in China
E G G E N O O E F V F R R E E G R Y C I N E H I U S N N - I G F N U N S G C U C H H S E I N T N A A I N A B L E Politics and Development of Contemporary China Series Editors Kevin Cai Renison University College University of Waterloo, Canada Pan Guang Shanghai Center for International Studies and Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China Daniel C. Lynch School of International Relations University of Southern California, USA As China’s power grows, the search has begun in earnest for what super- power status will mean for the People’s Republic of China as a nation as well as the impact of its new-found infl uence on the Asia-Pacifi c region and the global international order at large. By providing a venue for excit- ing and ground-breaking titles, the aim of this series is to explore the domestic and international implications of China’s rise and transforma- tion through a number of key areas including politics, development and foreign policy. The series will also give a strong voice to non-western per- spectives on China’s rise in order to provide a forum that connects and compares the views of academics from both the east and west refl ecting the truly international nature of the discipline. More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/14541 Geoffrey Chun-fung Chen Governing Sustainable Energies in China Geoffrey Chun-fung Chen University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany Institute of Political Science Institute of East Asian Studies Duisburg , Germany Politics and Development of Contemporary China ISBN 978-3-319-30968-2 ISBN 978-3-319-30969-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-30969-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016937718 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2 016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the pub- lisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © Andrew Dernie Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland P REFACE The book seeks an answer to the puzzle of how a theoretically perceived ‘impossible’ state can manage its transposition of sustainable energy policy that has long been premised on decentralisation principles. As one of the key strategies to mitigate the effect of climate change, sustainable energy development has been promoted in industrialised countries for the past three decades. However, in the last ten years, China has implemented non- hydro alternative energy sources through top-down, technology-oriented measures and expanded its renewable energy capacity with unprecedented speed and breadth. Contrary to what many commentators on authori- tarian states have anticipated, the country has swiftly become the largest renewable energy market, globally. This phenomenon seems to contradict to the principle of orthodox environmental governance, in which stake- holder participation is deemed as a necessary condition for effective policy outcomes. China’s growth in this sector serves as a case for both the descriptive and the exploratory phases of the investigation of the environmental poli- tics in an authoritarian context. I fi rst set out to explore the role of the Chinese state in enabling transformation of the renewable energy sector and to understand the ways in which policy elites seek to introduce devel- opmental state and partial ecological modernisation strategies in the pol- icy area. Second, by adopting the principal-agent theory, I explicate how the governance mechanisms have been deployed and how challenges of the expansion of the sector in the governance system with a large territory have been mitigated. Ultimately, I examine in this book the possibility of an alternative form of environmental governance in which renewable v vi PREFACE energy can be diffused in a less-participatory manner, with more direct controls and target-oriented state intervention measures. I should clarify that I do not work for, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or governmental organisation interviewed with, men- tioned in, or having links to this book. Nonetheless, I have received a large amount of intangible support at different stages of this project. This book emerged from my PhD thesis, completed at the University of Bath. I am grateful to Charles Lees for his guidance. It has been a pleasure to work with him, exploring together the area of the study and pushing to the lim- its the boundary of knowledge. I am also grateful to Ingolfur Blühdorn, who has provided constant insights for the research and has encouraged me to push forward. And I owe an especially large debt of gratitude to Shaun Breslin and Michael Finus for their constructive feedback on the early draft of this book. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Christina Brian, Sara Doskow, Chris Robinson, Kevin Cai, Guang Pan, Daniel Lynch, Maria Garcia, Joseph Szarka, Axel Goodbody, and the anonymous reviewer for their enthusiasm, comments, or suggestions. All are, of course, absolved from blame for the remaining inadequacies. Furthermore, special thanks to those friends who helped me during my fi eldwork. I am deeply indebted to Zhiting Chen; thank you for all kinds of help, either intellectual or per- sonal support. This book is dedicated to my parents; without your love, the project could never have been completed. Essen, Germany G eoffrey Chun-fung Chen C ONTENTS Part I Capacity Building for Sustainable Energy Development 1 1 How States Build Sustainable Energy Capacity 3 2 Orthodoxies of Energy Governance 31 3 Theoretical Approaches to the System of Governance of Renewable Energy in China 6 5 Part II C hina’s Growing ‘Strategic’ Sustainable Energy Industry 113 4 The Chinese State, the Perceived Environmental Crisis, and the Mixed Paradigm for Diffusing Non-Hydro Renewable Energy 115 5 Jiangsu: Regional Renewable Planning and Deployment 167 6 Zhejiang: Regional Renewable Planning and Deployment 1 97 vii viii CONTENTS 7 Towards a New Model of Sustainable Energy Development? 219 Appendix 257 Bibliography 261 Index 287 L A IST OF BBREVIATIONS CCP C hinese Communist Party GDP G ross Domestic Product GONGO G overnment Organised Non-Governmental Organisation IPCC I ntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change KMT K uomintang KW Kilowatt kWh K ilowatt-hour MEP M inistry of Environmental Protection MW Megawatt NDRC N ational Development and Reform Commission NGO N on-Governmental Organisation PDRC P rovincial Development and Reform Commission PRC P eople’s Republic of China PV P hotovoltaic SASAC State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council SERC S tate Electricity Regulatory Commission ix
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