Wind turbines generate green energy at a wind farm on Dongchu Island in Rongcheng, Shandong province, on July 20. LI XINJUN/FOR CHINA DAILY
China has taken a landmark step in its green transition by establishing its first-ever mandatory minimum consumption target system for renewable energy, a move experts say represents a fundamental paradigm shift from supply-driven expansion to demand-led integration in the country's pursuit of its carbon peak and neutrality goals.
Jointly issued by four ministries — including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — the measures for implementing the minimum target of renewable energy consumption and the responsibility weight of renewable energy power absorption officially took effect on Saturday.
"The policy fundamentally transforms the responsibility structure of China's energy transition as it enters deep waters," said Wang Yongli, deputy director of the Energy Internet Research Center at North China Electric Power University.
"In the past, the main challenge was insufficient grid capacity to absorb rapid supply growth. Now, by shifting mandatory green consumption obligations from local governments and grid companies down to key energy-consuming enterprises, the policy uses demand to anchor renewable energy investments and market expectations."
