NRDC held its fourth workshop with Xiamen University’s China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy on strategies and policies to guarantee low-carbon power supply in Beijing on September 20, focusing on the role of the government and market. Experts stressed that the market can help increase integration of new energy, ensure sufficient system capacity, and serve to channel the costs of low-carbon transition. A capacity market should consider not only the role of thermal power but also allow participation by entities like wind power, photovoltaic, energy storage, and demand side resources. Interprovincial markets should consider the economic level and power production of each province. Moreover, the government should mainly focus on planning and designing market rules, intervening only when the market does not function properly. 

Hosted by Dr. Boqiang Lin, Director of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy, the discussion included commentary from Li Ma (Deputy Chief Engineer at State Grid Energy Research Institute), Yaxian Zheng (Deputy Director of Power Market at Power Automation Department at China Electric Power Research Institute), Jingjie Zhang (Deputy Director of Planning Development at China Electricity Council), and Lei Zhu (Professor at School of Economics and Management of Beihang University). 

Nearly 3,000 audience joined the workshop online. See coverage by Sustainable Development Magazine here.