Both China and Denmark are on the right track to a greener future, but we need to accelerate our joint efforts to stay at the forefront of renewable energy and energy efficiency development.

Denmark and China have cooperated on climate and energy since 2009 through the Renewable Energy Development Programme. The cooperation aims to encourage reduction of CO2-emissions in China as well as to support the development of Chinese institutional frameworks on renewable energy, power plant flexibility and energy efficiency.

The main official Memorandums of Understandings with the Chinese authorities are with: The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the National Energy Conservation Centre (NECC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA).

The Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate have two MoU’s with NEA. One that covers development of renewable energy (with NEA’s New and Renewable Energy Department) and one that covers flexibility in the thermal power sector (with NEA’s Power Department).

The main cooperation on renewable energy (covered by the MoU) takes place between the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) and China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC). Here, Danish and Chinese experts work together to analyse the possibilities of expanding renewable energy in China’s energy system using the many decades of Danish experience within the field.

In January 2015, CNREC reached an agreement with the British Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) for support from 2015-2019. The investment from the British charity in CNREC is initiated through the five-year Boosting Renewable Energy as part of China’s Energy System Revolution Programme and is technically supported by the DEA, the German Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The cooperation on flexibility in the thermal power sector is currently under development between the Chinese Electric Power Planning & Engineering Institute (EPPEI), NEA and the DEA. The main activity within the programme is the development of the China Thermal Power Transition programme. This includes development of demonstration projects, a dissemination platform and formulation of research projects. The results from the cooperation are expected to feed in to the ongoing Chinese power sector reform.

The MoU with NDRC is implemented through the cooperation with NECC. The focus of the programme is energy efficiency in industries with a focus on efficient district heating and utilization of excess heat from industries. The main activity is development of pilot projects in Chinese provinces. Mitigation of greenhouse gases, increased use of renewables and energy efficiency are core elements in the Sino-Danish cooperation.

The close cooperation between China and Denmark opens many possibilities to create long-term Chinese-Danish partnerships on energy and so have an impact on Chinese renewable energy politics.

Click here for further information on the MoU’s.

For further information on the Sino-Danish cooperation click here.