ABSTRACT
The development of distributed renewable energy in China is associated with several important issues in Chinese policymaking and development. Some of these are: ensuring a transition to a low-carbon society, stable electricity provision for its citizens, local job and value creation, challenges with increased inequality, climate change and power market reform. For distributed photovoltaic to take a significant role in changing electricity consumption, the power grid needs to be made flexible and adjusted for smaller-scale production. In general, the increasing use of renewable energy locally has several impacts relating to electricity dispatch and grid, electricity pricing, energy governance and policy as well as electricity consumers and energy use. Much research has already been conducted on the role of centralised wind and solar energy in general and the various effects they may have on decarbonising China’s electricity supply. The term ‘eco-city’ is a quite loosely defined concept with no universal agreement as to what it actually contains.
