On 16 June 2021, the energy team of GIZ in China organized a Sino-German exchange forum on decarbonization of the energy sector in the context of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. The event provided an opportunity for sharing experiences, challenges, opportunities, and potentials for cooperation between Germany and China while accelerating the energy transition in both countries.
Together with the launching of two reports: the ‘China Energy Transition Status 2021’ (English version) and the ‘Study on German Energy Decarbonization Practices and Insights’, two panel discussions on the “Opportunities and Challenges in the Sino-German Energy Transition” and on “Climate Cooperation and Development in the Energy Sector between Germany and China”, were organized. In the panel discussions, representatives from governments, think tanks, and industries dug deeper into the challenges and cooperation opportunities of the energy transition in China and Germany under the climate target. The discussion centred on finding solutions to common challenges in the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This included coupling economic growth with decarbonization while accelerating the energy transition, ensuring energy security against the background of a growing share of renewables and coal phasing out, increasing the flexibilization of power systems, taking social impact into consideration for a just transition as well as ramping up innovative technologies through mutually beneficial cooperation.
Representatives from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the German Embassy to Beijing gave opening remarks for the forum. Experts from the State Grid Energy Research Institute, Peking University, RWE, Siemens, China Electricity Council, State Grid Zhejiang Electric Power Co. Ltd, Transnet BW, Agora Energiewende, and Wuppertal Institute participated in the panel discussion. More than 80 representatives participated in the forum altogether.
