Collaboration with NREL's China Program
On February 25, 1995, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the State Science and Technology Commission, now the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), of the People's Republic of China, signed a Protocol for Cooperation in the Fields of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Development and Utilization. The Protocol was renewed in 2000, and focuses on three sustainable energy goals:
- To advance world energy security interests by helping China develop more diversified energy resources and thereby reduce its future demand for oil;
- To mitigate environmental damage associated with rapid growth in energy demand through deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency measures; and
- To enhance US industry competitiveness in China's energy market.
In support of these goals, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with other US agencies and Chinese partners, implement activities to advance renewable energy and energy efficiency. DOE/NREL worked with Chinese partners to install pilot projects on the ground to demonstrate that renewable energy technologies provide a reliable source of electricity in stand-alone, hybrid, mini-grid, and grid-connected situations. Now that renewable energy technologies have a proven track record, DOE/NREL focuses on technical capacity building, training, sustainability issues, and policy to ensure a sound infrastructure for renewable energy development in China.
Further information on NREL's China activities is available through their website, which also includes useful factsheets on renewable energy in China. Jean Ku, a Senior Project Leader at NREL, has been in residence with the China Energy Group at LBNL since 2003.