Events
Clingendael Energy Conference: "New Energy Technologies: Global Competition, Innovation and China" 30 November 2011
In a seminar and debate on 30 November 2011, academic and industry experts discussed the current status and trends of energy technology development and innovation – both worldwide and in China – and debated the consequences of increasing global competition and what could be Europe’s role and strategy. Several low-carbon energy sources have gone through a phase of rapid growth in the past decade, reaching a new scale in terms of global deployment. Regarding renewable energy and other low carbon technologies, Europe, Japan and the United States have traditionally been global leaders in terms of innovation, industrial capacity and actual implementation. However, their leadership position is coming under increasing pressure as China is emerging both as a global competitor and major growth market.
By leveraging its expanding domestic market and its skills in cost innovation, China has set out to develop several advanced energy technologies that it deems of key importance – both for its own development and because of the future export potential. Selected industries include wind energy, solar energy, third-generation nuclear power, advanced coal-fired power generation, high-speed rail and (semi-)electric transportation. Technology transfer requirements and a major push for more R&D and innovation are increasing the technological capabilities of Chinese firms – in some cases much faster than anticipated. Although the Chinese strategy is not without its challenges, market leaders in Europe, the United States and elsewhere are already feeling the effects of increasing global competition coming from China.
The seminar will addressed the following issues:
- What is the current state of affairs regarding the development of clean energy technologies? Where are the current technological boundaries and where are the United States, Europe and China positioned in this regard?
- China is becoming an increasingly strong international competitor in the field of energy sector technologies and has emerged as the largest investor in renewable energy worldwide. How will this influence global markets for clean energy in the coming decades?
- How are Western energy technology companies dealing with China’s strategy of providing market access in exchange for technology transfer?
- What is the level of China’s innovative power, how is it developing and how fast will China be able to move up the value-chain to more innovation?
After a series of presentations, there was a lively interactive debate with the speakers and the wider audience. The report “China and the Future of New Energy Technologies: Trends in Global Competition and Innovation” is now available on http://www.clingendael.nl/ciep/publications.