Chinese Renewables: Grid Integration and Financing Workshop at CREC

Panel 1: Plugging in Renewables: Grid Integration

With the release of the State Grid Corporation of China’s Strong and Smart Grid Program in 2009, China is set to make large investments in grid infrastructure in the coming decades. While similar efforts have been mirrored in the U.S., however, project developers in both countries also face several major hurdles. These include tapping on-grid storage, addressing the combined heat and power infrastructure that covers much of north China, and balancing renewable sources of energy with more flexible conventional energy. This panel will also discuss how to balance development near load centers to ease grid pressure, and how distributed energy systems and microgrids are changing the market.

Panel 2: Financing Renewables: The View from the US and China

Both China and the U.S. are seeking financing models for renewable energy that leverage government support rather than depend on it. After the bankruptcy of Solyndra and the expiration of the production tax credit, U.S. renewable energy companies, facing a dearth of traditional financing, are turning increasingly to alternative financing. China, on the other hand, has relied on a series of feed-in tariffs to address domestic oversupply and spur renewable energy development. This panel will discuss how the U.S. and China can think outside the box to take advantage of alternative financing structures. How much room exists for bilateral cooperation? Finally, will innovations in renewable energy finance allow the U.S. and China to become competitive in other markets, such as India and Brazil?

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