Research Proposal Presentation Title

Energy Sustainability in China: Solar Energy

Student researchers

Madeline Chong (76167295)
Chengjia Cai (88926191)
Yixin Xia (54872296)

What is your research question?

To what extent do energy experts in China support or not support adopting solar energy over traditional fossil fuels?

Research proposal keywords or concepts

Energy sustainability
Replacement of fossil fuels to solar energy
Social acceptance of solar energy in China

How would you summarize your proposed research idea?

Many countries are concerned about energy shortage, because our main energy fossil fuels are limited to fulfill rapidly growing demand, especially in China. Therefore, many experts warned about China's long-term energy production and suggest altering the energy sources to clean energies. Among other energies we advocate for solar energy through qualitative methods by conducting online interviews with 20 Chinese energy experts.

Where is the literature gap and how does your proposed research attempt to fill that gap?

“Social acceptance of solar energy technologies in China — End Users’ Perspective” by Yuan, Zuo, and Ma inspired us to create research project since they showcase the quantitative survey results of the solar energy acceptance in China to promote solar energy technologies in China. However, their participants’ expertise and evidence on their answers are unstated, which inspired us to fill this gap with more reliable samples: energy experts in various areas.

Why is this gap worthy of research?

Unlike the existing literatures that only focuses on the number of citizens who support for solar energy, our research not only help the scientific research in solar energy, but also help people popularize solar energy technology to foster its development and replacement.

What future change could this research possibly contribute to, related to sustainability?

Our research significantly contributes to energy sustainability because it highlights the possibility and public acceptance of solar energy as an alternative to traditional energy sources, fossil fuels. This will promote the governments’ movement to replace more energy with solar energy, which will make us to move on to sustainable energy.

What made your group interested in and/or what excites you about your proposed topic?

Since this research project leads us to advocate for sustainability, we will look forward to more solar energy-based buildings or products in our daily lives. As we could find more solar energy panels on the street, town, and country, it will allow us to enjoy unlimited clean energy in the next generation with our kids, partners, or other families without worrying about energy shortages or any environmental issues. We are excited about making this tangible changes and achieving one of the sustainability goals of the UN.

References

Huang, J., Fan, J., & Furbo, S. (2019). Feasibility study on solar district heating in china. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews

Li, J., & Huang, J. (2020). The expansion of China's solar energy: Challenges and policy options. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews

Liu, L., Wang, Z., Zhang, H., & Xue, Y. (2010). Solar energy development in China—A review. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(1), 301-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.08.005

Song, X. (2019). Electricity Consumption Prediction for Xinjiang Electric Energy Replacement. Hindawi. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/mpe/2019/3262591/

Yuan, X., Zuo, J., & Ma, C. (2011). Social acceptance of solar energy technologies in China—End users’ perspective. Energy Policy, 39(3), 1031-1036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2011.01.003

Xue Gao (2020), Policymaking challenges in complex systems: The political and socio-technical dynamics of solar photovoltaic technology deployment in China, Energy Research & Social Science, Volume 64, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101426.

Wallace, W. (2006). Solar Energy in China: Development Trends for Solar Water Heaters and Photovoltaics in the Urban Environment. SAGE Journals. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/10.1177/0270467606286948

Zhou, S., Wang, Y., Zhou, Y., Clarke, L. E., & Edmonds, J. A. (2018). Roles of wind and solar energy in China’s power sector: Implications of intermittency constraints. Applied Energy, 213, 22-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.01.025