Technical and Non-Technical Factors for the Application of Renewable Energy Technologies in the Rural Areas of China
Abstract
To balance urban and rural development, the Chinese government has initiated a New Village Construction movement from the early of 21st century. Since then, the vast rural areas that involves a huge number of villages have been undergoing a reconstruction/renovation process. From around the same period, renewable energy technologies (RETs) have been greatly promoted in the country as one of the most important ways to deal with the contemporary energy and environmental problems. Combing the above two aspects, how RETs have been applied in the village reconstruction/renovation process and what are the problems and or barriers for their application in such areas become questions that are worthy of investigation. Based on preliminary field investigations and questionnaire surveys, this paper identifies and discusses some technical and nontechnical factors related to the above questions, hoping to provide references and insights for further researches in the relevant areas.