Renewable Energy Policy in Remote Rural Areas of Western China: Implementation and Socio-economic Benefits (English shop)

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Electricity is essential for rural development. In 2005, 1.6 billion people, around a quarter of the world’s population, living mostly in rural areas of developing countries, had no access to electricity. In general, remote rural areas in developing countries have little prospect of having access to grid-based electricity, which usually only extends to densely populated urban areas, where a large customer base justifies heavy expenditure for electricity infrastructure. One option for electrification in remote rural areas is to decentralize electricity systems based on renewable energy sources. However, such an option is not universally agreed upon. This dissertation examines a renewable energy-based rural electrification program, the ‘Township Electrification Program’, launched by the Chinese government in 2002. The Program was implemented in 1013 non-electrified townships in remote rural areas of 11 western provinces, providing electricity for 300,000 households and 1.3 million people. And at the time of research, the Program was known as the world’s largest renewable energy-based rural electrification program in terms of investment volume ever carried out by a country.

Two townships, Saierlong Township in Qinghai Province and Namcuo Township in Tibet Autonomous Region, were selected as cases for an in-depth examination of rural electrification practices in remote rural areas of western China. Both qualitative (interviews, observations, mapping, and transition walk) and quantitative (household survey) methods were applied in the field to collect data.

The main findings of the study are summarized as follows: First, political leaders’ concern over the unequal economic development of eastern and western China, as well as rural and urban areas, was the main factor triggering inclusion of the policy issue, electricity access in remote rural areas of western China, in the government’s policy agenda. Second, like other energy policies, the formulation and adoption of the ‘Township Electrification Program’ followed a ‘centralized and closed top-down’ approach within China’s communist political framework conditions, which ultimately resulted in pursuing political leaders’ conceptions instead of the energy needs of local people. Third, the implementation of the Program possessed a technical orientation (e.g. construction of stations, installation of systems), and underestimated the financial implications (e.g. electricity tariff, households’ ability to pay electricity fee, financial management) as well as human resources available (e.g. training for operators, household participation) and institutional capacity building (e.g. good governance, regulatory framework) at the local level.

Fourth, there was a change of households’ energy use pattern from traditional energy sources (such as candles and dry cell batteries) to electricity from solar PV power stations in the two investigated townships. But traditional energy sources were not totally substituted by electricity. This is due to the fact that the current electricity supply was not sufficient for households’ needs and electricity was not provided daily on a regular basis. Households still had to rely on traditional energy sources. Fifth, the impacts of the Program on the improvement of socio-economic benefits for households, the improvement of township development, and the reduction of negative environmental impacts were limited. Lastly, based on these findings, this study suggests policy recommendations for the Chinese government as well as policy implications for developing countries.

Rezension

Diss. Bonn; Gutachter: U. Holtz. – Shyu untersucht die praktischen Auswirkungen des 2002 von der chinesischen Regierung ins Leben gerufenen „Township Electrification Program“. Dieses dient der Elektrifizierung des ländlichen Raumes mittels erneuerbarer Energien wie der Solar- und Windenergie. Chinesische Politiker reagierten damit auf die ökonomischen Diskrepanzen zwischen den verschiedenen Landesteilen sowie zwischen ländlichen und städtischen Räumen. Der Autor hebt hervor, dass es sich bei dem in 11 westlichen Provinzen eingeführten Programm um das weltweit größte seiner Art handelt. Mit seiner Hilfe konnten 300.000 Haushalte beziehungsweise 1,3 Millionen Menschen mit Strom versorgt werden. Shyu analysiert die Implementation des Programms in den Gemeinden Sairlong in der Provinz Qinghai und Namcuo in der Autonomen Region Tibet. Er greift hierbei auf eine Mischung aus qualitativen und quantitativen Erhebungsmethoden zurück. Shyu führt die Implementation des Programms ursächlich auf politische Konzepte der chinesischen Führung und nicht auf die tatsächlichen Bedürfnisse der Bevölkerung zurück. Er kritisiert seine andere Implikationen vernachlässigende Konzentration auf technische Fragestellungen. So seien nicht alle Haushalte in den untersuchten Gemeinden dazu in der Lage gewesen, Stromkosten zu zahlen. Darüber hinaus müssten Gebühren festgelegt sowie Anlagen betrieben und gewartet werden. Auch sollten lokale Administrationen auf die mit der Einführung des Programms verbundenen zusätzlichen Aufgaben vorbereitet und entsprechend personell ausgestattet werden. Des Weiteren konnten traditionelle Energiequellen wie Kerzen oder Batterien aufgrund der eingeschränkten Verfügbarkeit der Solarenergie nicht vollständig ersetzt werden. Die sozioökonomischen Vorteile des genannten Programms sowie die von ihm ausgehenden positiven Effekte für den Umweltschutz bewertet der Autor daher als ungenügend.

Marinke Gindullis
Politikwissenschaftlerin
(abgerufen am 03.08.2011)