The Power of Renewables Opportunities and Challenges for China and the United States (2010) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 15-22
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From page 15... ...
The United States and China face similar technical and economic constraints in terms of scaling up renewables' share of power generation: with the exception of hydropower and some wind and geothermal, most renewable power generation is not presently cost-competitive with baseload rates based on coal-fired power; and geographically, concentrations of electricity demand and high-quality renew able energy resources are far apart. However, renewable power offers several advantages over conventional generation, including low emissions of air pollut ants, low fuel costs, and in many cases relatively quick deployment.
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Third, by working together the United States and China have an opportunity to accelerate the deployment of renewable power technologies and substantially reduce GHG emissions, thereby gaining international recognition for their accomplishments. In the past decade, the U.S.
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In the United States, for example, the most abundant wind resources are on the Great Plains, which is far from major demand centers, or offshore, where aesthetic and other concerns have slowed development. In China, the best wind and solar resources are in high desert regions, also far from demand centers, or in places where there is no electrical grid at all.
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From page 18... ...
This so-called "organizational learning" provides an opportunity for the United States and China to share information to improve overall system performance. The discussion in Chapter 4 is based on the desire of both countries to reduce environmental impacts, particularly air pollution, from energy consumption, which has long been an important motivation for using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels (e.g., NAE/NRC/CAE/CAS, 2007)
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The most prominent policy in both China and the United States has been price supports, and both countries set subsidy values specific to particular resources (wind, solar, and so forth)
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The overall energy infrastructure and longer term prospects for renewables are the subjects of Chapter 6. In the United States, change is being driven by a desire to reduce GHG emissions, reduce dependence on foreign sources of energy, TABLE 1-1 Installed Capacity and Net Generation from Renewable Resources, 2009 China United States Installed Generation Installed Generation Generation Technology Capacity (GW)
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From page 21... ...
In Chapter 7, the committees review the historical context of U.S.-Chinese cooperation on energy and climate change, the new era of U.S.-Chinese cooperation ushered in by Presidents Hu and Obama, the role of each country in international discussions on energy and climate issues, and how cooperation can be significantly expanded in the coming years. The development of renewable sources of energy is one of the main options for both China and the United States to reduce GHG emissions and promote a sustainable energy future.
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