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Energy Efficiency in China’s Buildings Sector
…the data that tracks progress in achieving them. Regulation for new buildings in China, such as building codes, is relatively strong. However, as the rate of construction is slowing, policy priorities are shifting towards retrofitting existing buildings. Here, the IEA estimates that through strong policy action and best-in-class technology, China could reduce energy consumption by up to 65% in buildings constructed between 1995 and 2010, representing energy savings of over 8 000 Petajoules.The report includes examples from across China and the world on leading regulatory instruments, financial incentives, and information-based tools that can drive energy efficiency…
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies
…linked to uneven availability of concessional or long-tenor finance.This report maps and analyses these changes through an energy sector-level dataset covering 2015 to 2024. It explores how China’s evolving financing model is reshaping instruments, institutions and regional allocation patterns, and also considers the strategic and practical implications for EMDE energy transitions.The analysis is complemented by case studies covering a range of technologies and financial structures – from large-scale renewables and electricity distribution to green industrial projects, waste-to-energy and upstream developments – which show how China’s official actors operate in practice across contrasting markets…
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Land-Use Competition between Biodiversity and Net Zero Goals
…between renewables development, energy transition minerals mining and biodiversity conservation. Natural Resources Canada and the IEA partnered to develop this analytical framework capable of highlighting where solar, wind and critical mineral development risk overlapping with important areas for biodiversity conservation around the world, building on Canada’s leadership in providing open-source geospatial information on land use, resource distribution and ecosystems at risk. The new tool compiles 15 global geospatial datasets covering the resource distribution for solar, wind and mineral deposits with datasets on biodiversity and other land-use designations to help resolve competition between various land uses. This analysis…
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Integrating Distributed Energy Resources in China
Lessons from international experience Like no other country in the world, the People’s Republic of China (hereafter, “China”) is witnessing rapid growth in distributed energy resources (DERs), including rooftop solar photovoltaics, battery storage and electric vehicle (EV) chargers. As China advances towards its carbon peaking and neutrality goals, these resources offer a unique opportunity to support a more flexible, efficient and resilient power system, provided their integration is well-managed.This report analyses recent trends in DER deployment across China and highlights the emerging challenges their growth poses for power system planning and operation, calling for renewed attention to…
