OIES Podcast – Will green certificates help China’s clean energy transition?

In this podcast, Michal Meidan talks to Anders Hove about recent developments in China’s green power trading, discussing the findings of his forthcoming paper “Green certificates with Chinese characteristics: Will green certificates help China’s clean energy transition?”, co-authored with Gary Sipeng Xie.

Green power trading is a market-oriented way to promote a clean energy transition in China. In practice, however, China’s leading instrument for this policy, the green certificate, has faced serious obstacles. Michal and Anders discuss the key findings from the paper, including the goals and history of the green certificate policy, similar international experiences, as well as the challenges green certificates face. Anders explains why the increase in market interest since 2021 and recent policy documents in China suggest green power purchasing is likely to play a larger role in China’s power system, but he also highlights the obstacles around transparency and regulation. Anders argues that while the role of green certificates is likely to be limited in meeting private companies’ low carbon goals or in China’s renewable integration, but that companies should nonetheless monitor green certificates in China.

By: OIES