Renewable energy in buildings in China—A review

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable energy in buildings in China—A review Xueliang Yuan a, Xujiang Wang a, Jian Zuo b,n a b School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, Shandong, China School of Natural and Built Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia art ic l e i nf o a b s t r a c t Article history: Received 5 January 2013 Received in revised form 28 February 2013 Accepted 4 March 2013 Utilizing renewable energy in buildings helps to reduce consumption of conventional energy and to achieve low carbon economy. The past decades have witnessed a rapid development of renewable energy in buildings globally. China is no exception. The policies, regulations and strategic plans related to renewable energy in buildings are critically analyzed in this study with an aim to present an integrated policy framework. Furthermore, the current situation of utilizing various types of renewable energy resources in buildings and main barriers are discussed. Finally the development plan for renewable energy in buildings is presented according to the national policies. This study offers a comprehensive and systematic reference for the renewable energy in buildings in China. & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Renewable energy Building Policies Development plans China Contents 1. 2. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Analysis of renewable energy and energy consumption in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.1. Utilization of renewable energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.2. Energy consumption in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2.3. Renewable energy in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.3.1. Necessity and significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.3.2. Utilization of renewable energy in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Policy analysis of renewable energy in buildings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3.1. Policy on renewable energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3.2. Policy on promoting renewable energy in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 4. Analysis of renewable energy in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4.1. Renewable energy utilization in buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4.1.1. Amounts and situations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4.1.2. Major barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 4.2. Development plan for renewable energy in buildings in China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5. Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1. Introduction During the last two decades, the rapid growth of Chinese economy has created a massive demand for energy (see Fig. 1). n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ61 8 8302 1914; fax: þ61 8 8302 2252. E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] (J. Zuo). 1364-0321/$ - see front matter & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.03.022 In 2010, the total energy production was 2969 million tonnes of coal equivalent (tce), tripled than that in 1991. The annual increase rate of energy consumption is about 6.2% during the same period, reaching 3249 million tce in 2010. On the other hand, coal dominates the energy consumption structure of China, accounting for as high as 68% of the total energy consumption in 2010 [1]. As a result, China has become a net energy importer [2]. Furthermore, the highly energy intensive economy and strong GDP growth in 2 X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 3500 240 Energy production(Million Tce) 3000 China(Million Tce/10 ) 210 Total world(Million Tce ) 180 Energy consumption(Million Tce) 2500 150 2000 120 1500 90 1000 60 500 0 1991 30 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 Fig. 1. Energy production and consumption in China. Source: China Statistical Yearbook [1]. China will inevitably drive the continuous growth of the energy demand [3].These present key challenges to China to balance between rising energy demands and potential environmental issues [4,5]. Renewable energy helps to mitigate the tension between the energy demands and public concerns on environmental pollution [6,7]. In recent years, the renewable energy capacity expands dramatically around the world and more than 85 countries have adopted renewable policy targets by 2010 [8]. Renewable energy plays a critical role in achieving low carbon economy, especially for China. The abundant reserve of renewable energy sources will help China to reduce the high intensity of carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP. Recently, the Chinese government has promulgated a number of policies, regulations and strategic plans to promote the development of renewable energies. For instance, China is the world's largest producer and consumer of solar water heater at present [3,9]. Energy consumption from renewable energy resources will account for 15% of total energy consumption by 2020 [10]. With the rapid growth of economy, the building sector has become one of the biggest contributors towards energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission. According to the statistics of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the buildings sector accounts for some 20% of the total energy consumption around the world [11]. In China, the residential building sector consumed 338.43 million tce, accounting for 11% of the national overall energy consumption and ranked second across all sectors in 2009 [1]. This proportion will even increase further in the future [12]. In the past two decades, the annual increase rate of building energy consumption in China is more than 10% [13]. To achieve low carbon economy, China has devoted to utilize renewable energy in buildings. Various types of energy consumption in buildings, such as cooling, heating, hot water, lighting as well as household appliance energy consumption, can be supplied by renewable energy systems [14–16]. Similarly, the utilization of renewable energy also features in sustainability reporting of leading international construction companies [17]. This study aims to investigate the utilization of renewable energy in buildings in China by reviewing the energy consumption in buildings as well as analyzing the relevant policies, regulations and strategic plans in China. 2. Analysis of renewable energy and energy consumption in buildings 2.1. Utilization of renewable energy Common renewable energy resources include solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, ocean energy, featured with recyclability and low level of environmental pollution [18–21]. 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Fig. 2. Renewable energy consumption in China and the world. Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy [24]. 400 Residential sector(Million Tce) Commercial sector(Million Tce) 300 200 100 0 1990 1995 2000 2005 2009 Fig. 3. Building energy consumpiton in residential sector and commercial sector in China. Source: China Statistical Yearbook [1]. As shown in Fig. 2, the renewable energy consumption in the world increased from 74.5 million tce in 2000 to 230.6 million tce in 2010 with an annual increase rate of 12%. As for China, the renewable energy consumption has gained a rapid growth since the PRC Law of Renewable Energy went into effect in January 2006. For instance, the renewable energy consumption for China accounted for 7.6% of the total world renewable energy consumption in 2010 and the consumption has increased 16 times in the past decade [22]. According to the annual report of the United Nations Environment Program, China has exceeded the United States to become the country that made the most investments in renewable energy area in 2009. 2.2. Energy consumption in buildings Buildings generally fall into two sectors, i.e. residential and commercial. The US Energy Information Administration predicted that the energy consumption in residential sector and commercial sector will increase 1.1% and 1.5% annually, respectively, from 2008 to 2035 [11]. As shown in Fig. 3, in 2009, the building sector consumed about 720 million tce, accounting for 17.3% of national overall energy consumption in China. Residential energy consumption has doubled to 338.43 million tce and energy consumption for the commercial sector has increased nearly 3 times since 1990. The commercial energy consumption and residential energy consumption together see a rapid growth from 2000. The trend of energy consumption showed that, as the living standard of people improved, together with a rapid development of tertiary industry, the rapid growth trend of energy consumption in buildings will X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 continue and the percentage of building energy consumption in national overall energy consumption may increase even further. 2.3. Renewable energy in buildings 2.3.1. Necessity and significance The limited reserves of conventional energy resources have gradually become the bottleneck for economic development while the greenhouse gas emission is another issue associated with conventional energy sources [23,24]. There are also concerns on other types of alternative energy resources. For instance, the recent nuclear accident in Japan has triggered intensive public scrutiny on nuclear energy developments which has been slowed down. Germany will shut down all nuclear power plants by 2022 and Switzerland will abandon plans to build new nuclear reactors and phase out nuclear power in the future [25]. There have been calls for regulation reviews to avoid similar accidents [26,27]. Under such background, the growing energy consumption in buildings has played a critical role to achieve the strategic goal of sustainable development. Renewable energy, such as solar energy and wind energy with no greenhouse gas emission during power generation process, can be utilized in buildings to provide a solution to the problem [28]. For instance, solar water heater can save 10–15% energy consumption and solar heating system can create 45% energy saving in buildings [29]. The utilization of solar desiccant cooling system in institutional buildings can help to achieve 60% of energy related cost saving and significant reduction of greenhouse gas emission [30]. Similarly, utilizing renewable energy has become an important part of the design and development of green buildings [17,31,32]. 2.3.2. Utilization of renewable energy in buildings There is great potential to utilize solar energy, wind, geothermal energy and biomass in buildings and the technology is relatively mature. The utilization of solar energy has received increasingly level of attention worldwide, with inexhaustible source and no greenhouse gas emission and it can be utilized in photovoltaic systems, solar thermal water heating and hybrid photovoltaic– thermal solar systems, etc [33–35]. Wind energy is mainly utilized for power generation, especially in the high-rise buildings [36,37]. Geothermal energy is another vast clean energy source, stored in the interior of the earth. The heat pump technology is drawing rising attention and it has an enormous application potential in buildings [38,39]. At present, the available biomass contains crop straw, fire wood, livestock manure, industrial organic waste and municipal solid waste, etc. They can be utilized for heating through direct combustion or chemical conversion [40,41]. For instance, biogas can be generated from livestock manure through biochemical conversion. 3. Policy analysis of renewable energy in buildings 3.1. Policy on renewable energy In order to provide a good environment to the development of renewable energy, renewable energy policy has become a focus of national policy formulation and legislation in China. There are descriptions similar to “proactively developing solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy” since the Sixth Five-Year Strategic Plan [42]. In 2005, the National People's Congress passed the Renewable Energy Law of PRC [43], specifying the legal framework of the development and utilization of renewable energy in China. Following this, the government promulgated a series of supporting policies and regulations to provide subsidies to the renewable energy industry and to improve the market mechanism. 3 3.2. Policy on promoting renewable energy in buildings Renewable Energy Law of PRC advocates the utilization of renewable energy in buildings for the very first time in the form of law. This law was amended in 2010. This law clearly stated that the government encourages organizations and individuals to install and use solar water heating system, solar heating/refrigeration system, solar energy photovoltaic power system and other solar energy utilization system. The relevant departments of the State Council are responsible to formulate technical–economic policies and technical regulations to facilitate the integration of solar energy utilization system into buildings [44]. According to the rules of technical regulations, real estate developers should provide essential conditions for solar energy utilization in both design and construction stages of the development. For existing buildings, residents can install solar energy utilization system in accordance with technical regulations and industry standards. Similarly, it is encouraged to develop renewable energy in rural areas. According to the local conditions, the governments encourage the application of biomass, household solar energy technology, small scale wind energy technology and hydropower technology. Following this, a series of policies on promoting renewable energy in building are promulgated by government departments (see Table 1). In terms of law, Energy Conservation Law of PRC and Circular Economy Promotion Law of PRC has been effect in 2007 and 2008, respectively [45,46], which have also clearly stipulated that renewable energy systems are encouraged in buildings, such as the solar PV system. On January 2006, the regulation Temporary Management for the Price and Cost Sharing in Renewable Energy Power Generation, containing product subsidy, became effective [47]. The application scope of the policy includes wind power generation, biomass power generation, solar power generation and geothermal power generation which all can be put into operation in buildings. Furthermore, the consumers are encouraged to purchase electricity from renewable energy resources which promotes the utilization of renewable energy in buildings. In 2007, Ministry of Construction published Technical Catalogue on the Eleventh Five-Year Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings [48] which promotes the application of renewable energy and guides the development of renewable energy utilization in buildings, especially in demonstration sites. In 2009, two implementation schemes were promulgated to promote application of renewable energy in building for both urban and rural areas, respectively [49,50]. As for urban areas, demonstration sites will be established to expand the scale of application of renewable energy in buildings. Supporting measures will be taken to improve technical level and strengthen management work. For instance, the government will improve the implementation of national technological standards for solar energy techniques and cooperate with professional technical organizations to provide better technical support. Key regions in rural areas are identified to prioritize the utilization of renewable energy in buildings according to local conditions. For instance, buildings in primary and middle schools can install renewable energy utilization systems. Furthermore, central authorities will provide appropriate financial support to establish the demonstration sites. In March 2011, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Housing and Urban–rural Development promulgated Notice on Further Promoting Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings [51]. Objectives are clearly stated to accelerate the utilization of renewable energy on large scale and local governments are encouraged to release mandatory policies for this purpose. At the end of year 2011, Interim Measures for the Collection and Use of Renewable Energy Development Fund was released [52]. The Measures clearly 4 X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 Table 1 Policies on promoting renewable energy in buildings. Policy Promulgated time Energy Conservation Law 1sOctobser 2007 August 2008 Contents Renewable energy utilization systems, such as the solar energy system, are encouraged in newly-constructed and existing buildings Circular Economy Promotion Law In conditional regions, the units of building design and construction should make the most of renewable energy, such as solar energy, geothermal energy and wind energy, etc. Temporary Management for the Price and Cost Sharing in Renewable January 2006 Consumers are encouraged to buy renewable energy electricity from wind Energy Power Generation power generation, biomass power generation, solar power generation and geothermal power generation Technical Catalogue of MinistryofConstruction on the 11th Five Year August 2007 During the Eleventh Five-Year period, promote the application of renewable Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings energy and guide the development of renewable energy utilization technologies in buildings. Strengthen technical support for the demonstration sites established by Ministry of Construction and Ministry of Finance Implementation Scheme for Demonstrated Application of Renewable July 2009 During the 11th Five Year period, promote the application of renewable energy Energy in Buildings in Cities and guide the development of renewable energy utilization technologies in buildings. Strengthen technical support for the demonstration sites established by MinistryofConstruction and Ministry of Finance Implementation Scheme for Speeding Up the Application of Renewable July 2009 In rural areas, according to local conditions, identify key areas for application of Energy in Buildings in Rural Areas renewable energy in buildings. For instance, promote the utilization of solar water heating system and shallow geothermal energy in buildings in primary and middle schools. Promote and manage demonstration sites of the application of renewable energy in buildings Clear objectives of the application of renewable energy in buildings and speed Notice of Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Housing and Urban–rural March 2011 up the utilization in buildings on large scale. Based on the foundation of Development on Further Promoting Application of Renewable Energy demonstration sites in cities and rural areas, the state encourages local in Buildings governments to publish mandatory promotion policies Temporary Management for Collection and Use of Renewable Energy December Renewable energy utilization projects in rural areas and farms and Development Fund 2011 construction of independent renewable energy power system in remote areas and islands are supported The 12th Five Year Plan of Shandong Province on Energy Conservation October 2011 Promote utilization technology research and standard formulating on renewable energy in buildings and gradually establish assessment system about renewable energy construction application. Solar energy techniques are encouraged to use in energy-saving reconstruction work for existing buildings. Accelerate active and safe application of ground source heap pump technology in the regions with favorable conditions In order to save energy and reduce emission in buildings, strengthen Implementation Scheme of Shandong Province on the 12th Five Year November supervision and inspection on the application of solar/thermal integrated Comprehensive Work of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction 2011 buildings and speed up the popularization and utilization of solar water heater in rural areas. Solar heating system in encouraged to use on large scale in industry, public institutions, business and residential life The Building Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan for the Twelfth Five-Year May 2012 The overall aims, guiding principles and development path of building energy period efficiency during the Twelfth Five-Year period were specified. Specific goals and plans for implementing renewable energy in buildings were set up Notice on improving the policies relevant to renewable energy August 2012 The number of demonstrate cities for renewable energy application in application in buildings and mechanisms for funds allocation buildings is controlled where the selection criteria was specified. The calculation formula for funds allocation is provided. Priority of funding is given to solar pv and solar heat water system in rural areas, affordable housing, schools and hospitals Strategic Twelfth Five-Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development August 2012 Further endorsed that the application of renewable energy in buildings will be encouraged by the government and funds will be made available specified that the government will support the renewable energy utilization projects in rural areas, and farms and construction of independent renewable energy power system in remote areas and islands. These policies also promote the utilization of renewable energy in buildings, especially for the rural and remote areas. As for the Shandong Province, two policies on energy conservation and emission reduction were successively promulgated by the end of 2011, i.e. The 12th Five Year Plan of Shandong Province on Energy Conservation, Implementation Scheme of Shandong Province on the 12th Five Year Comprehensive Work of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction [53,54]. Goals and measures are stipulated in these two policies to promote the renewable energy utilization in buildings. As one of pillar superior industries in Shandong, solar energy industry is the key area of establishing the development and assessment systems. Similarly, ground source heat pump is encouraged to be broadly implemented. All these national and provincial policies are summarized in Table 1. Similarly, renewable energy application has featured in a number of building energy efficient design and assessment codes in China (see Table 2). China is a large country in terms of geography accordingly temperatures vary significantly from northern part of the country to the southern part of the country during the same season, especially during winter. The Chinese Standard of Climatic Regionalization for Architecture divides the country into five zones, i.e. Cold; Very cold; Hot summer and cold winter; Hot summer and warm winter; and Moderate [55]. As shown in Table 2, specific standards and codes have been designed to address the different climatic characteristics in different climate zones. 4. Analysis of renewable energy in buildings 4.1. Renewable energy utilization in buildings 4.1.1. Amounts and situations Solar energy can be utilized through photovoltaic cell, solar water heater and solar air conditioning system in buildings. In China, the solar water heater is the most widely used technology, 5 X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 Table 2 Standards and codes on building energy efficiency and renewable energy application in buildings. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Codes and standards Issue year Notes Code of thermal design for residential buildings Energy conservation design code for heating residential buildings Lighting Design Code for Civil Building Code of thermal design for residential buildings Energy conservation design standard for heating new residential buildings Standard for energy-efficiency inspection of heating in residential buildings Technical specification for energy conservation renovation of existing heating in residential buildings Design standard for energy efficiency of residential buildings in hot summer and warm winter zone Design Code for heating, ventilation and air conditioning Technical conditions and experimental methods for domestic solar PV system Design Standard for the energy efficiency in public buildings Technical specification for solar water system in residential buildings Evaluation standard for green building Technical guidance for data monitoring system for the demonstration project of renewable energy in buildings Technical specification for solar heating systems Technical specification for geothermal heat pump systems Design standard for the energy efficiency of residential buildings in the hot summer and cold winter zone Design standard for energy efficiency of residential buildings in Cold and Very Cold zone Technical specification for solar PV system in residential buildings Design standard for energy efficiency of residential buildings in hot summer and cold winter 1986 1986 1990 1993 1995 2001 2001 2003 2003 2003 2005 2005 2006 2009 2009 2009 2010 2010 2010 2010 JGJ24-86 JGJ26-86 GB 133-90 GB50176-93 JGJ26-95 JGJ132-2001 JGJ129-2000 JGJ75-2003 JGJ19-2003 GB/T 19064-2003 GB50189-2005 GB50364-2005 GB50378-2006 Table 3 Annual production and installed area of solar water heater in China. Source: Status of solar thermal industry in China [34]; Research report about the development of solar water heater in China [58]. Year Annual production (million m2) Change over last year (%) Installed area (million m2) Change over last year (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 3.5 5 6.4 8.2 10 12 13.5 15 18 23 31 42 – 42.9 28 28.1 22 20 12.5 11.1 20 27.8 34.8 35.48 15 20 26 32 40 50 62 75 90 108 125 145 – 33.3 30 23.1 25 25 24 21 20 20 15.7 16 ranked No.1 in production and utilization around the world [56]. The installed area increased over 9 times, from 15 million m2 to about 145 million m2, in the last twelve years (see Table 3) [57,58]. In 2006, the installed area accounted for 60% of the total area around the world, coving 40 million families and more than 150 million people [59]. This proportion increased to 76% in 2009 [58]. The development of solar PV in China falls behind compared to Japan, United States and Germany, etc [60]. However, during the last few years, China's solar PV industry is developing rapidly due to preferential policies. As shown in Table 4, the annual installed capacity of solar PV power almost tripled in the last five years, increasing from 135 MW in 2005 to 156 MW in 2009. The accumulated installed capacity increased over 15 times in last decade. The combination of wind energy generation with buildings is another approach to utilize renewable energy in buildings. Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and other developed countries have promoted the research and practice on wind energy generation in cities and high buildings since 2001. This helps to avoid the remote transmission of electricity and lower the investment cost [63]. The rapid urbanization in China has produced a large amount of buildings that can be integrated with small scale wind turbines. The geothermal energy can be utilized through heat pump technology in buildings which saves 30–70% energy than conventional heating and refrigeration equipment [64]. The Chinese GB50495-2009 GB-50366-2009 JGJ 134-2010 JGJ26-2010 JGJ203-2010 JGJ134-2010 Table 4 Annual and accumulative installed capacity of solar PV in China. Source: New energy industrial development plan (draft) [61]; Research report on China PV industry (2006–2007) [62]. Year Annual installed capacity/kWp 1980 8 1985 70 1990 500 1995 1,550 2000 3,300 2002 20,300 2004 10,000 2005 5,000 2006 10,000 2007 20,000 2008 45,000 2009 13,5000 Change over last year/% Accumulated installed capacity/ kWp Change over last year/% – – – – – – – −50 100 100 125 200 16.5 200 1780 6630 19,000 45,000 65,000 70,000 80,000 100,000 145,000 300,000 – – – – – – – 7.7 14.3 25 45 106.9 government encourages the development of heat pump technology, especially in hospitals and schools. According the statistics of more than 160 heap pump projects, the technology has been used in various buildings in China [65] (see Fig. 4). For heating area, about 14% of the projects are over 50,000 m2; 48% of the projects are 10,000–50,000 m2; 39% of the projects are under 10,000 m2. According to the official statistics, geothermal heating area in China increased rapidly, increasing from 1.9 million m2 in 1990 to 11 million m2 in 2000 [66]. By the mid of 2008, the heating (refrigeration) area reached to 80 million m2 with an annual increase rate of 20% [67]. Hence, there is a promising market to utilize geothermal energy in buildings. The main approach for biomass utilization in buildings is biogas generation in rural and remote areas. In recent years, Chinese governments at all levels have paid more attention to the construction of biogas facilities in rural areas and have established a rigid policy support and regulation mechanism. The investment on rural biogas facilities construction increased from 0.84 billion RMB in 2003 to 2.5 billion RMB in 2006 [68] and the biogas projects increased from 13.2 million in 2003 to about 20 million in 2006 [69]. By the end of 2006, the population accessed to biogas energy increased to more than 75 million. The biogas output amounted to 8.7 billion m3, creating the total income of 7 billion RMB for farmers [70]. 6 X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 4.1.2. Major barriers The research and practice on integration of renewable energy in buildings is not adequate in China and the immature technology is one of key barriers for the further development. Other barriers include the lack of complete national standards and industrial standards of related technologies and products; and lack of security architecture of products and facilities [18]. For example, under a strict national production standards system, the solar water heater in Australia can guarantee 12-year or even 20-year working life. Whilst in China, the product quality is comparatively poorer and the maintenance cost is higher, which gradually becomes a barrier for the development [71]. The high initial cost of renewable energy development compared to the conventional energy is another significant barrier. The imported equipment from overseas cost around 60% higher than those purchased locally. This limits the extensive utilization of renewable energy. Usually, the grid companies are required to pay a higher price for electricity generated from renewable energy than that from coalfired generation and as a result the profit is much lower [7]. Although solar water heater is very popular in China, the inadequate supply chain has significantly restricted the application of solar PV in buildings in China. Over 90% raw materials for solar PV are imported whereas over 90% products are exported [72]. As a result, the profit level of the solar PV industry in China is comparatively low whereas the associated greenhouse gas emissions are considerably high. Furthermore, the Chinese solar PV industry needs further rigid policy supports. Although related policies have been promulgated by the government, substantial supports are far from adequate. For instance, under the “Million Solar Roofs” scheme, a large number of buildings in U.S. are almost self-sufficient in electric power by the end of 2010, which has significantly exceeded the development in China [73]. The 40% 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% OB H RA FB RB MB SB HB Fig. 4. The proportion of different buildings in 160 heap pump projects. Note: OB: office building, H: hotel, RA: residential area, FB: factory building, RB: resort building; MB: market building, SB: school building, HB: hospital building. utilization of wind energy in buildings is at the initial stage. Many theoretical and experimental works are exploratory rather than providing an accurate description of the technology [74,75]. 4.2. Development plan for renewable energy in buildings in China The Chinese government has recognized the significance of utilization of renewable energy in buildings and has developed a strategic plan accordingly. In 2007, the government promulgated the Medium and Long-term Development Plan for Renewable Energy [10]. Goals were established to promote industrialization development in wind energy generation, biomass generation, and solar energy generation, aiming to increase the proportion of renewable energy in overall energy consumption to 10% and 15% in 2010 and 2020, respectively. According to this strategic plan, the amount of renewable energy utilized in buildings will dramatically increase (see Table 5). These strategies and ambitious goals are further endorsed in the recently released Strategic Twelfth FiveYear Plan for Renewable Energy Development. These renewable energies resources are: biogas, solar PV, solar water heater and geothermal. As shown in Table 4, the development plan for renewable energies in buildings is explicit. There are other strategic plans for the utilization of renewable energy in buildings. For instance, by the end of Eleventh Five-Year Plan, the utilization area of solar energy and shallow geothermal energy should cover more than 25% of the new construction area and the proportion should exceed 50% by the end of 2020 [76]. 386 demonstration projects for renewable energy application in buildings and 47 demonstration cities were set up with a total floor area of 3.89 million m2 during this period of time [51]. This is equal to 20 million tce. The Building Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan for the Twelfth Five-Year period was released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development in May 2012 which clearly specified the goal of adding an extra 2.5 billion m2 floor area of buildings with application of renewable energy with a capacity to reduce 30 million tce of conventional energy consumption by 2015 [77]. Furthermore, renewable energy accounts for more than 15% of building energy consumption in 2020 [51]. As for Shandong Province, the developing plan for renewable energy in buildings is ambitious. By the end of 2015, over half of the new buildings will use renewable energy and the new application area of renewable energy will reach to 18 million square meters among witch the solar energy covers more than 83% [53,54]. It is interesting to note that the utilization of wind power in buildings was not reported in any strategic plan. The current focus of all policies and strategic plans on wind energy is predominately on the large scale grid-connected wind farms. Table 5 Develop goals for renewable energies in China. Source: Medium and long-term development plan for renewable energy [10]. Items Development plan Biogas Promote the application of biogas in rural areas and small-medium sized cities. By the end of 2020, the biogas production reaches to 30 billion m3, coving 300 million people In remote areas, adopt household solar PV generation systems or small PV stations. The solar PV generation capacity reaches to 0.3 million kW by the end of 2020. In large-medium sized cities with higher economy and modernization level, develop PV grid-connected generation systems and building integration. By the end of 2020, the amount of the projects increases to 20 thousand and the generation capacity reaches to 1 million kW Popularize integration of solar water heater with buildings and central solar heating systems in cities. Set demonstration sites to utilize solar heating/ refrigeration systems. In 2020, the amount increases to 300 million m2, replacing 60 million tce with the addition of other forms of solar thermal utilization Utilize geothermal energy reasonably and promote technologies satisfying the requirement of environmental and water resource protection. In Yangtze river area and coastal areas, utilize shallow geothermal energy to supply air conditioning system and daily life with hot water. By the end of 2020, the utilization of geothermal energy amount to 12 million tce Solar PV generation Solar water heater Geothermal energy X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 5. Conclusions Renewable energy plays a critical role to satisfy rising energy demands and to achieve low-carbon economy. The utilization of renewable energy in buildings has been an important way to promote the development of renewable energy. China is rich in renewable energy sources where different types of renewable energy develop rapidly, especially in buildings. Renewable energy policy has become a focus of national policy formulation and legislation. From 2007, the government has promulgated more than a dozen national policies to promote the utilization of renewable energy in buildings. However, China is still at the early stage compared to the developed countries. The immature technologies, lack of comprehensive product standards, inadequate supply chain and high cost are major barriers to the further development of renewable energy in buildings. A more rigid policy system is required and further research works are encouraged to facilitate the utilization of the renewable energies in buildings. It is worth noting that even though a number of strategic plans have been released to promote the utilization of renewable energy in buildings, wind energy seems out of the radar as the current focus is placed on large scale wind farm developments that have connected to the power grid. Acknowledgements This research is financially supported by the Humanities and Social Sciences Project (10YJCZH209), Ministry of Education. References [1] National Bureau of Statistics of China. China statistical yearbook 2011. Beijing: China Statistics Press; 2009. [2] Ma HY, Oxley L, Gibson J, Li W. A survey of China's renewable energy economy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2010;14(1):438–45. [3] Liu W, Lund H, Mathiesen BV, Zhang XL. Potential of renewable energy systems in China. Applied Energy 2011;88(2):518–25. [4] Cherni JA, Kentish J. Renewable energy policy and electricity market reforms in China. Energy Policy 2007;35(7):3616–29. [5] Zhang X, Wu L, Zhang R, Deng S, Zhang Y, Wu J, et al. Evaluating the relationships among economic growth, energy consumption, air emissions and air environmental protection investment in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2013;18:259–70. [6] Al-Badi AH, Albadi MH. Domestic solar water heating system in Oman: current status and future prospects. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 16(8): 5727–5731. [7] Liu J, Zuo J, Sun Z, Zillante G, Chen X. Sustainability in hydropower development-A case study. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2013;19:230–7. [8] Liao CH, Ou HH, Lo SL, Chiueh PT, YH. YYu. A challenging approach for renewable energy market development. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(1):787–93. [9] Yuan X, Zuo J, Ma C. Social acceptance of solar energy technologies in China— end users' perspective. Energy Policy 2011;39(3):1031–6. [10] National Development and Reform Commission. Long-term development plan for renewable energy. Beijing; 2007. [11] U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy. International energy outlook. Washington; 2011. [12] Chen SQ, Li NP, Guan J, Xie YQ, Sun FM, Ni J. A statistical method to investigate national energy consumption in the residential building sector of China. Energy and Buildings 2008;40(4):654–65. [13] Cai WG, Wu Y, Zhong Y, Ren H. China building energy consumption: situation, challenges and corresponding measures. Energy Policy 2009;37(6):2054–9. [14] Xia CH, Zhu YX, Lin BR. Renewable energy utilization evaluation method in green buildings. Renewable Energy 2008;33(5):883–6. [15] Shi L, Chew MYL. A review on sustainable design of renewable energy systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(1):192–207. [16] Zhao HX, Magoulès F. A review on the prediction of building energy consumption. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(6):3586–92. [17] Zuo J, Zillante G, Wilson L, Davidson K, Pullen S. Sustainability policy of construction contractors: a review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(6):3910–6. [18] Tourkolias C, Mirasgedis S. Quantification and monetization of employment benefits associated with renewable energy technologies in Greece. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(6):2876–86. 7 [19] Zhang PD, Yang YL, Shi J, Zheng YH, Wang LS, Li XR. Opportunities and challenges for renewable energy policy in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2009;13(2):439–49. [20] Zhao ZY, Yan H, Zuo J, Tian YX, Zillante G. A critical review of factors affecting the wind power generation industry in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2013;19:499–508. [21] Zhao ZY, Zhang SY, Zuo J. A critical analysis of the photovoltaic power industry in China—from diamond model to gear model. Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(9):4963–71. [22] BP statistical review of world energy. Available at: 〈www.bp.com/statisticalre view〉; June 2011. [23] Mondal MAH, Denich M. Assessment of renewable energy resources potential for electricity generation in Bangladesh. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2010;14(8):2401–13. [24] Ahmad S, MZAA Kadir, Shafie S. Current perspective of the renewable energy development in Malaysia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15 (2):897–904. [25] The New York times. Germany, in reversal, will close nuclear plants by 2022. Available at: 〈http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/world/europe/31germany. html?_r=1〉; May 30, 2011. [26] Wang Q, Chen X, Yi-chong X. Accident like the Fukushima unlikely in a country with effective nuclear regulation: literature review and proposed guidelines. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2013;17:126–46. [27] Wang Q, Chen X. Regulatory failures for nuclear safety – the bad example of Japan – implication for the rest of world. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(5):2610–7. [28] Panwar NL, Kaushik SC, Kothari S. Role of renewable energy sources in environmental protection: a review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(3):1513–24. [29] China wind power and solar photovoltaic industry association. Plate solar water heater leading carbon revolution. Available at: 〈http://www.cwpva.org/ html/taiyangnenjishu/2010/0416/147.html〉; April 16, 2010. [30] Baniyounes AM, Liu G, Rasul MG. Khan MMK. Analysis of solar desiccant cooling system for an institutional building in subtropical Queensland, Australia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(8):6423–31. [31] Hashim H, Ho WS. Renewable energy policies and initiatives for a sustainable energy future in Malaysia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(9):4780–7. [32] Ye L, Cheng Z, Wang Q, Lin W, Ren F. Overview on green building label in China. Renewable Energy 2013;53:220–9. [33] Privitera G, Day AR, Dhesi G, Long D. Optimising the installation costs of renewable energy technologies in buildings: a linear programming approach. Energy and Buildings 2011;43(4):838–43. [34] Torío H, Angelotti A, Schmidt D. Exergy analysis of renewable energy-based climatisation systems for buildings: a critical view. Energy and Buildings 2009;41(3):248–71. [35] Golić K, Kosorić V, Furundžić AK. General model of solar water heating system integration in residential building refurbishment—potential energy savings and environmental impact. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(3):1533–44. [36] Ayhan D, Sağlam Ş. A technical review of building-mounted wind power systems and a sample simulation model. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;16(1):1040–9. [37] Aman MM, Jasmon GB, Ghufran A, Bakar AHA, Mokhlis H. Investigating possible wind energy potential to meet the power shortage in Karachi. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2013;18:528–42. [38] Deng ZY, Han RL. Discussion on the application of renewable energy source in the construction domain. Construction Conserves Energy 2009;37(8):48–50. [39] Zhai XQ, Qu M, Yu X, Yang Y, Wang RZ. A review for the applications and integrated approaches of ground-coupled heat pump systems. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2011;15(6):3133–40. [40] Rosúa JM, Pasadas M. Biomass potential in Andalusia, from grapevines, olives, fruit trees and poplar, for providing heating in homes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(6):4190–5. [41] Keleş S, Bilgen S. Renewable energy sources in Turkey for climate change mitigation and energy sustainability. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(7):5199–206. [42] Yuan XL, Zuo J. Pricing and affordability of renewable energy in China-A case study of Shandong Province. Renewable Energy 2011;36(3):1111–7. [43] The Ccentral People's Government of the People's Republic of China. Renewable Energy Law of PRC. Available at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/ziliao/flfg/2005-06/ 21/content_8275.htm〉: June 21; 2005. [44] Xie H, Zhang C, Hao B, Liu S, Zou KK. Review of solar obligations in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 2012;16(1):113–22. [45] The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. Energy Conservation Law of PRC. Available at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/flfg/2007-10/28/ content_788493.htm〉: October 28; 2007. [46] The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. Circular Economy Promotion Law of PRC. Available at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/flfg/ 2008-08/29/content_1084355.htm〉: August 29; 2008. [47] National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China. Temporary Management for the Price and Cost Sharing in Renewable Energy Power Generation. Available at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/ztzl/2006-01/20/ content_165910.htm〉: January 20; 2006. [48] Ministry of Construction of the People's Republic of China. Technical Catalogue on the 11th Five Year Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings. Available 8 [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] X. Yuan et al. / Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 24 (2013) 1–8 at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2007-09/05/content_738334.htm〉: September 5; 2007. Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development of the People's Republic of China. Implementation Scheme for Demonstrated Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings in Cities. Available at: 〈http://www. gov.cn/zwgk/2009-07/09/content_1360900.htm〉: July 9; 2009. Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development of the People's Republic of China. Implementation Scheme for Speeding Up the Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings in Rural Areas. Available at: 〈http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2009-07/09/content_1360930.htm〉: July 9; 2009. MoHURD. The Building Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan for the Twelfth FiveYear period, Ministry of Housing and Urban-rural Development of the People's Republic of China. Beijing, China: May; 2012. Ministry of Finance, National Development and Reform Commission, National Energy Administrationof the People's Republic of China. Interim Measures for Collection and Use of Renewable Energy Development Fund. Available at: 〈http:// www.gov.cn/gzdt/2011-12/19/content_2024128.htm〉: December 19; 2011. General Administrative Office of Shandong Province. The 12th Five Year Plan of Shandong Province on Energy Conservation. Available at: 〈http://www2. shandong.gov.cn/art/2011/11/9/art_3883_2682.html〉: October 17; 2011. Government of Shandong Province. Implementation Scheme of Shandong Province on the 12th Five Year Comprehensive Work of Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction. Available at: 〈http://www2.shandong.gov.cn/art/ 2011/11/24/art_3883_2692.html〉: November 22; 2011. Wang ZX, Liu LQ, Zhang HQ. New development of wind and PV hybrid technology and application. Advances of Power System & Hydroelectric Engineering 2008;24(11):40–5. Lang SW. Progress in energy-efficiency standards for residential buildings in China. Energy and Buildings 2004;36(12):1191–6. China New Energy. Professional society of solar thermal utilization, status of solar thermal industry in China. Available at: 〈http://www.newenergy.org.cn/ html/0088/8180820263.html〉: August 18; 2008. Qian-Xun Information Consultation Company. Research report about the development of solar water heater in China. Beijing; 2011. Zhuang YF, Jia ZY. The status quo and suggestion for solar energy development and utilization in China. Science Technology and Industry 2008;08(9):5–6. Yu XY, Cui AH. Current status, problems and countermeasures of solar energy utilization in China. Science & Technology Information 2011;53(3):417. China National Energy Bureau. New Energy Industrial Development Plan (draft). Available at: 〈http://www.21cbh.com/HTML/2010-7-21/yMMDAwM DE4NzkyMQ.html〉: July 20; 2010. [62] Office of China Renewable Energy Development Project. Research Report on China PV Industry (2006–2007). Available at: 〈http://www.istartupchina.com/ files/report_050408.pdf〉; 2008. [63] Ai ZG. Design strategy based on the integration of high-rise building and wind power generation. Architectural Journal 2009;5:74–5. [64] Li Q. Ground source heat pump and its advantages. Shanxi Architecture 2010;36(19):170–1. [65] Zhang MJ, Wang JG, Bao LL. Development situation of ground-source heat pump in China and the popularizing policy of heat pump in foreign country. Journal of Hebei University of Engineering (Natural Science Edition) 2008 ;25(2):25–8. [66] Ma LX, Tian S. Current situation and development of geothermal energy utilization in China. Natural Resource Economics of China 2006;19(9):19–21. [67] Lin WJ, Lin LJ, Wang GL. Research on the Status quo, problems and countermeasures on shallow geothermal resources utilization in China. Symposium of Urban Geological Environment and Sustainable Development Forum 2010:356–60. [68] Liu L. Discussion on the development of biomass engineering in China. Science & Technology Information 2010;26:343–4. [69] Gao YC, Kuang ZS, Pan MS, Huang XG, Chen W, Ye MQ, et al. Development progress and current situation analysis of the rural household biogas in China. Guangdong Agricultural Science 2006;11:22–7. [70] Chen YJ, Meng H. The present situation and countermeasures for bioenergy development in China. Chinese High Technology Letters 2007;17(12):1312–6. [71] Zhang Z, Liu CB. Comparison between domestic and foreign application of photo-thermal technology on solar energy architectures. Applied Energy Technology 2007;2:23–6. [72] Wang Z, Ren Y. Utilization and development of solar energy industry in China. Resources & Industries 2010;12(2):89–92. [73] Zhuang Y, Zhang XL. The current situation of solar buildings at home and abroad. Heilongjiang Science and Technology Information. 2011. (6):288, p. 323. [74] Müller G, Jentsch MF, Stoddart E. Vertical axis resistance type wind turbines for use in buildings. Renewable Energy 2009;34(5):1407–12. [75] Shun S, Ahmed NA. Utilizing wind and solar energy as power sources for a hybrid building ventilation device. Renewable Energy 2008;33(6):1392–7. [76] Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development of the People's Republic of China. Available at: 〈http://www.mohurd.gov.cn/ ztbd/kzsnyzjzzyy/200611/t20061101_158510.html〉: August 25: 2006. [77] Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development, The Building Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan for the Twelfth Five-Year period. Beijing, China: May; 2012.