China: Don't miss the third industry**

China announced at the third plenary session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that it plans to formally join IRENA this year. It is reported that China's main motivation for joining IRENA is not wanting to miss the third industry.

The third meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was held on the 13th in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. Denmark’s Minister of Energy, Martin Lidlow (second from right), who has served as the conference’s ambassador, said that investment in the renewable energy sector is expected to increase significantly in the next 10 years.

China, which has always been low-key on the issue of joining the International Energy Agency, announced at the third plenary session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on the 13th that it plans to officially join IRENA this year.

China participated in the IRENA conference held in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, as an observer. Liu Qi, deputy director of the National Energy Administration of China, said at the meeting that China looks forward to becoming a member of IRENA.

China is the world’s largest energy producer and has a total generating capacity of 1.14 billion kilowatts. IRENA said that China’s accession is a landmark event for the goal of doubling the proportion of global renewable energy sources by 2030.

According to a reporter from the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of the China Resources Comprehensive Utilization Association, the delegation of the Chinese side to participate in the above-mentioned conference was composed of nearly 20 people, including Liu Qi, deputy director of the National Energy Administration, and new energy and renewable energy of the National Energy Administration. Shi Lishan, Deputy Director of the Energy Division, and Li Junfeng, Chairman of the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of the China Resources Comprehensive Utilization Association.

“The state attaches great importance to it and believes that IRENA may become as important as the IEA (International Energy Agency) in the future. Compared with IEA, it is more focused on the field of renewable energy. It will be an international large-scale economic cooperation organization.” Renewable energy is considered by the United States, Japan, etc. as the core of the third industrial **. China missed the first two times and does not want to fall behind again. By joining IRENA, cooperation between countries in the field of renewable energy can be strengthened, and communication and coordination are more convenient.

According to the above sources, its current organization is continuing to promote China's participation in IRENA. After joining, the departments that will interface with IRENA will mainly include the National Energy Administration, the Energy Research Institute of the National Development and Reform Commission and the China Resources Comprehensive Utilization Association.

In the past five years, China has become the world’s largest producer of energy, with increasing emphasis on the proportion of renewable energy in newly installed capacity. The newly installed capacity of hydropower is 100 million kilowatts, reaching 249 million kilowatts, ranking first in the world; wind power installed by 5 million kilowatts increased to 63 million kilowatts, becoming the world's largest wind power country; photovoltaic power generation capacity increased from the basic gap to 7 million kilowatts.

According to the IRENA report, in 2011, China's investment in the development of renewable energy reached 52.2 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 17% year-on-year, accounting for 58.5% of the annual total investment in developing countries.

On the 13th of the Renewable Energy Roadmap, IRENA also released the world's first clean energy atlas to assess and classify renewable energy resources worldwide.

IRENA said that the Atlas is based on data and maps provided by a number of research institutes and private companies around the world, helping some countries to learn about their potential renewable resources. The group said that the Atlas helps companies seeking to invest in new markets. Martin &middot, the Danish energy minister who served as the director of the conference, said that the investment in the renewable energy field is expected to increase substantially in the next 10 years.

The Atlas will only provide solar and wind energy information, and will expand to some other forms of renewable resources from 2013 to 2014. Adnan Amin, director general of IRENA, said that by 2014, the atlas contains information on bioenergy, geothermal energy and ocean energy. The Atlas will help the world's renewable energy use share to double by 2030. Twenty-two countries have participated in drawing atlases, and more countries are expected to join in the coming months.

In addition, during the conference, the leaders of the participating countries will also formulate the “2030 Global Renewable Energy Roadmap” to increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy ratio, in order to urge all countries to increase wind energy, solar energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, etc. The use of renewable energy sources aims at 2030, and the proportion of such energy sources in global energy use should not be less than 30%.

The preliminary investigation and analysis of IRENA can show that renewable energy will account for 21% of the global energy structure if it continues to maintain the current rate of technological advancement. This means that by 2030, the goal of staying 30% will still have a 9% gap. To remedy this gap, IRENA's renewable energy roadmap suggests that, at the regional and interregional levels, different industries and priorities should be given to increasing the share of renewable energy in the fields of power generation, industry, construction, and transportation.

Young IRENA

The energy-related international organizations established after the first oil crisis included the International Energy Agency (IEA), established by the United States, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which was established in 1957 to promote nuclear power generation.

Compared to IEA and IAEA, IRENA is a young international organization and the first global renewable energy intergovernmental organization established in recent decades to develop renewable energy (including biomass, geothermal, hydro, and oceans) Energy, solar energy, and wind energy are their hallmarks, and they are a significant indicator of the need for targeted global action in the renewable energy sector.

IRENA was conceived by Germany. In 2004, the "Renewable Energy Conference 2004" in Bonn passed the political ** and put the establishment work on the agenda.

On January 26, 2009, IRENA was established, when 75 countries signed the statute. According to the IRENA official website, there are 160 IRENA participants, including the European Union, the United States, Britain, France and Germany. Of these, 105 have already ratified the Statute and become IRENA members; another 55 are contractors or applicants.

Countries are now investing in the environmental sector as an initiative to stimulate economic development, which has promoted the popularization of natural energy such as solar photovoltaic power generation and wind power generation. In the future, it is possible to establish standardized systems such as natural energy assessment standards with IRENA as the core, and promote the spread to developing countries.

IRENA is headquartered in Masdar, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Countries such as Germany and Denmark that have promoted the establishment of IRENA have expressed their hope that their headquarters will be located in their own countries, but they will eventually select Masdar City, which is under construction and is based on the concept of “zero carbon city”.

At the third plenary session of the IRENA held on the 13th, the representative of the UAE announced that President Sheikh Khalifa formally approved the IRENA headquarters agreement in the UAE. This is the first international organization headquartered in the Middle East.

China's motivation to join IRENA China announced its decision to join IRENA. It has been nearly three years since the establishment of the agency. According to the above-mentioned sources from the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of the China Resources Comprehensive Utilization Association, “When China joins an international organization, it always takes some time, including preparing materials. The leadership understands this matter, realizes the importance of the organization, and finally agrees. All this needs a certain amount of process. Together, it can be done not in a month or two months."

According to the above sources, “We have had one or two years of preparations. We have had some communication with their Director General. He was a guest at a forum we had in a year or two ago. He used to He expressed great hope that China will join China because it is a major player in the global renewable energy sector and is one of the major countries in this market. Such a large market (China) is not included in it, which is inappropriate for IRENA. Both parties actually have the motivation to promote this matter."

The above sources stated that in the process of China’s participation in IRENA, the Renewable Energy Professional Committee has played a catalytic role. “To become an IRENA member state, either to say that I want to join, I have to complete a series of basic information submissions and fill in the form. , the application materials, etc., in accordance with the constitution, to be approved before they can participate in. Our association has done some basic work to help the National Energy Administration and some related government departments to prepare some information.After joining IRENA, the association will continue to play a role Will help the National Energy Administration and other relevant national agencies to do the liaison work."

Regarding China’s motivation to join IRENA, the above-mentioned sources said there are three main points:

The first is to consider low-carbon and energy-saving emission reductions. China is now under pressure from climate negotiations. If we join IRENA, we have achieved good results in the field of renewable energy. For example, wind power and photovoltaics have all achieved the world's top priority, so the pressure on climate negotiations will be much less.

Secondly, the development of renewable energy in China does need to draw on the experience of Germany and the United States, and it requires exchanges. With this platform, it is equivalent to entering this circle and making communication easier. Although you can enter as an observer, but many things to participate in, it is far less convenient than members.

Third, the United States or Japan, many countries have proposed that renewable energy is the core of the third industrial economy. If China joins now, it is equivalent to the beginning of the rise of renewable energy. For the first time and the second time for industry, China has all missed it. For the third time, China does not say it leads, at least it should not be backward.

China's motivation to join IRENA China announced its decision to join IRENA. It has been nearly three years since the establishment of the agency. According to the above-mentioned sources from the Renewable Energy Professional Committee of the China Resources Comprehensive Utilization Association, “When China joins an international organization, it always takes some time, including preparing materials. The leadership understands this matter, realizes the importance of the organization, and finally agrees. All this needs a certain amount of process. Together, it can be accomplished not in a month or two months."

According to the above sources, “We have had one or two years of preparations. We have had some communication with their Director General. He was a guest at a forum we had in a year or two ago. He used to He expressed great hope that China will join China because it is a major player in the global renewable energy sector and is one of the major countries in this market. Such a large market (China) is not included in it, which is inappropriate for IRENA. Both parties actually have the motivation to promote this matter."

According to the above sources, the Renewable Energy Professional Committee has played a catalytic role in the process of China’s participation in the IRENA. “To become an IRENA member state, either to say that I want to join, we have to complete a series of basic information submissions and fill in the form. , the application materials, etc., in accordance with the constitution, to be approved before they can participate in. Our association has done some basic work to help the National Energy Administration and some related government departments to prepare some information.After joining IRENA, the association will also continue to play a role Will help the National Energy Administration and other relevant national agencies to do the liaison work."

Regarding China’s motivation to join IRENA, the above-mentioned sources said there are three main points:

The first is to consider low-carbon and energy-saving emission reductions. China is now under pressure from climate negotiations. If we join IRENA, we have achieved good results in the field of renewable energy. For example, wind power and photovoltaics have all achieved the world's top priority, so the pressure on climate negotiations will be much less.

Secondly, the development of renewable energy in China does need to draw on the experience of Germany and the United States, and it requires exchanges. With this platform, it is equivalent to entering this circle and making communication easier. Although you can enter as an observer, but many things to participate in, it is far less convenient than members.

Third, the United States or Japan, many countries have proposed that renewable energy is the core of the third industrial economy. If China joins now, it is equivalent to the beginning of the rise of renewable energy. For the first time and the second time for industry, China has all missed it. For the third time, China does not say it leads, at least it should not be backward.

Reasons for China's prudent choice China has always been cautious about joining international energy agencies.

The former Director-General of IEA, Mr. Tanaka, once expressed on several occasions that if China is willing to become a member of IEA, the IEA will be very welcome, and IEA regulations may even be amended accordingly. That is, becoming a member of the agency must be an OECD (OECD member, China Not OECD members).

In an earlier interview with reporters, Tanaka said that “If China joins IEA, it will have a huge impact on the global energy market. First, China’s energy information situation will be more transparent. We do not know China’s crude oil inventory level. China's crude oil inventories data, we can only make some estimates of China's crude oil consumption level.There is a more understanding of China's crude oil use, which means that the global energy market can have a good indicator, so that the market can play more The role is good. The market is also very hopeful to get more data from China, which will help stabilize the global crude oil market. Joining the IEA is also very good for China itself."

However, China is only willing to cooperate with the IEA instead of joining it. Analysts said, “There is a difference between the two. IEA is not only a renewable energy source, but also a big energy concept. Coal, gas, and oil are all inside. Coal, gas, and oil are more sensitive than renewable energy sources. It is the basis of a country’s economy, and based on these data, it is possible to deduce the basic economic situation and development of a country.The development of renewable energy in the world is still early, and for China, its proportion is also relatively small, not dominant. Status, in order to infer the overall economic data according to the situation of renewable energy, is basically impossible. The development of renewable energy, it is indeed necessary to rely on the strength of countries in the world, China joined them, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”

Interestingly, the IEA member, Japan, initially expressed a negative attitude toward joining IRENA, citing "the duplication of functions with the IEA" and "the annual capital contribution of about 500 million yen." In January 2009, Japan attended the inaugural meeting as an observer but did not sign a convention. Affected by the United States, the United Kingdom, and other member states, Japan signed the Convention at the second meeting of the Preparatory Commission (Egypt) held in July of the same year.