Over the course of last century, the global humanity has been experiencing environmental pollution and climate change. Since the 1990s, global efforts to address this challenge and reduce greenhouse gas emissions have focused on low greenhouse gas from energy systems through greater shares of clean energy sources. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, while retaining continued economic growth and sustained social development, requires stepped-up endeavors in different sectors over a long time span. On average, the energy sector contributes two-thirds of the global greenhouse gas emissions, the largest source of which is from fossil-fuelled power generation, transport and industry. This is the key rationale behind the call for a cleaner and low greenhouse gas emission energy system, in particular, the power system. Renewable energy, inter alia, has made, and will continue to make, significant contribution on this front, due to its zero or near zero emissions of greenhouse gases and reduction of other conventional pollutants. Besides contributing to climate change mitigation, renewables also contribute to enhancing energy access and energy security, both for rural and urban populations in off- and on-grid settings.
At the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21), 195 countries adopted The Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a global agreement on addressing climate change which has been open for signature since 22 April 2016. The agreement provides the cornerstone for global action to, inter alia, stabilise climate change by limiting global mean surface temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (°C) above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C. This historical accomplishment is, however, just a beginning.
The renewable energy sector has been growing rapidly in recent decades, especially in the power sector. With an increase of 8.3%-a record high achieved in 2015-the global total renewable power generation capacity is approaching 2,000 gigawatts (GW), contributing to about a quarter of the world’s electricity production. However, sustaining such fast growth requires increasing efforts to address the new challenges emerging from deployment at scale in the current energy systems, which evolved based on conventional energy fuels. In contrast, there is a real need to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources beyond the power sector especially in end-use sectors such as cooling and heating, transport, and building.
2. Project Cases
(1) Wind farm of 99MW in Pakistan
To actively implement the national Belt and Road Initiative development strategy, under the strong support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Orient Group Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. made investment in wind farm of 99MW in Pakistan through UEG Renewable Energy Group (Private) Limited. The wind farm is located in the wind corridor of Jhimipir, Sindh Province and one of top priority projects of China Pakistan Economic Corridor. The predicted electricity to be produced will be 274,782,000kWH annually. The investment way is BOO and total amount is USD252M. The lender is China Development Bank, the contractor is China Gezhouba Group, the wind turbine provider is Goldwind.
Li Keqiang, the Premier of China, and Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, witnessed the ceremony of signing EPC General Framework Agreement during the APEC meeting in Nov 2014; Xi Jinping, the President of China, and Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, witnessed the Loan Agreement in Islamabad in April 2015.
All wind turbine generators have been installed up till now, the expected COD will be 27th May 2017.
[Photo/Belt and Road Energy Cooperation]
[Photo/ Belt and Road Energy Cooperation]
(2)Algeria 233MW solar project
In September 2013, the consortium of Yingli, Sinohydro Engineering and Sinohydro Consultancy won the Algeria 233MW solar project. As the initiator of the consortium, Yingli was responsible for the supply and transport of all PV modules, part of the design, DC equipment selection, site supervision for installation and grid connection, as well as technical training.
During the project construction period, local experienced labor company are used to extend the local labor hiring intention, which is very important for increasing local job opportunity, enhancing upstream and downstream industry improvement. There are more than 600 Chinese workers employed and 2000 local employees in peak time including 800 refugees from Mali. More than one hundred Algeria project owners and technical person in 12 groups went to Yingli’s HQ in China to learn and get trained for PV project construction technology and O&M knowledge. Those trained staff will extend more and more technical talent for Algeria.
