Renewable Energy Development in China: Spatial Clustering and Socio-Spatial Embeddedness

Abstract

Purpose of review In the past decade, China has made remarkable achievements in the development of renewable energies. This article adopts a geographical perspective for China's current wave of renewable energy transitions, by viewing the transition outcomes through the lenses of spatial clustering and socio-spatial embeddedness. Recent findings We find that many renewable energy industry clusters have emerged nationwide and different patterns are uncovered for the clustering in extant literature, either through bottom-up agglomeration around pioneering enterprises, or driven by top-down government strategy and planning. There is scant research on the reconfiguration of sociospatial arrangements, which is an important but very often neglected facet of energy transitions. We further discuss the regional disparities in China's renewable energy development, in which resource-rich regions are mainly in the north part of China, while central, eastern, and southern regions possess substantial advantages in fostering industry clusters. Summary In the end, we propose two avenues for future research: firstly, to explore why different clustering patterns emerge in a certain region but not in another, and what implications these cases of clustering can draw for other regions in China or other latecomer countries; secondly, to uncover how renewable energy application and popularization shape local socio-spatial arrangements.

Toward just energy transitions in authoritarian regimes: indirect participation and adaptive governance

“…In the past decade, China, as the largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter in the world, has made unprecedented progress in the development and application of low-carbon energies. From 2005 to 2015, China's annual consumption of renewable energy has increased from 166.00 million tce to 512.48 million tce (Huang and Liu, 2017). China's share in global renewables consumption increased from 3.27% in 2007 to 21.92% in 2017.…”

“…Early in 2015, China has set the goal of lowering carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 60 to 65% from the 2005 level. Later in 2017, the 13th Five-Year Development Plan for Renewable Energy (2016-2020) was published, in which it was estimated that till 2020 a total investment of 2.5 trillion CNY (about 0.4 trillion USD) will be allocated to the greening of its current energy system (Huang and Liu, 2017). These policies indicate strong government support for China's energy transitions, and a much more rapid transition toward renewable energy-based energy system in China is underway.…”

Governing renewable energy transition in conflict contexts: investigating the institutional context in Palestine

“…In 2022, the cost of electricity per megawatt generated from renewables is expected to be cheaper than imported options [34]. Having an excellent solar potential, embedded social practices (abundance of solar heaters is an encouraging factor for the success of solar PV [43]) and economic feasibility are essential factors for decisionmakers and investors when building their transition agenda in the tactical level.…”

Innovation Institution and Spatial Transfer of Energy Industry: The Case of Jiangsu Province, China

“…Based on industrial output value, Dong et al (2016) map the spatial distribution and cluster pattern of renewable energy industry in China and conclude that there is agglomeration of renewable energy industry in Yangtze River Delta and Bohai sea region by emphasizing China's regional disparity. Huang and Liu (2017) analyze China's renewable energy transitions from a geographical perspective and think that southern China has substantial advantage in fostering industry clusters. Overall, researchers have approved the following: (a) Institution is important for spatial planning of industries (Block & Keller, 2010); (b) innovation is closely related to industrial growth (Dixon & Greenhalgh, 2003;Shavell & Ypersele, 2001); (c) China's regional disparity affects energy industry development significantly (Dong et al 2016;Huang and Liu, 2017).…”

“…Huang and Liu (2017) analyze China's renewable energy transitions from a geographical perspective and think that southern China has substantial advantage in fostering industry clusters. Overall, researchers have approved the following: (a) Institution is important for spatial planning of industries (Block & Keller, 2010); (b) innovation is closely related to industrial growth (Dixon & Greenhalgh, 2003;Shavell & Ypersele, 2001); (c) China's regional disparity affects energy industry development significantly (Dong et al 2016;Huang and Liu, 2017). However, very little has been written about the role of innovation institutions in the location choices of energy industry, especially IPRs protection.…”