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29 June 2011
GPPi comments on cooperation between Europe and China in the wind power sector
On 28 June 2011, at the German Development Institute in Bonn, GPPi Research Associate Mirjam Meissner was a commentator at the final conference of the ERA-NET CO-REACH project titled The Impact of Emerging Power: China-EU Cooperation and Global Governance.
Participants at the conference presented the results of a collaborative research program from the German Development Institute, the Institute of Development Studies, the University of Sussex, the Institute of World Economics & Politics and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Meissner commented on a study called Competition or Cooperation Between Europe and China in the Wind Power Sector, put together by Rasmus Lema from the Institute of Development Studies and Axel Berger from the German Development Institute.
Meissner argued that the presented study, with its purely market based analysis of the wind power sector in Europe and China, runs the risk of neglecting important variables and challenges but also opportunities for future competition and cooperation in the wind energy sector. The broad spectrum of governmental interests in the wind energy sector, namely climate and environmental protection, energy security and low carbon development, calls for a comprehensive approach that goes beyond traditional business schemes of competition and cooperation in liberal market structures. Meissner stressed that inter-organizational governance structures will be essential to meet the political and technological challenges ahead. Therefore, EU and China should search for new models of cooperation within a multi-actor approach to strengthen both side’s innovativeness and ability to develop and diffuse cutting-edge technologies in the wind energy sector as well as in other technology sectors with relevance for low carbon development.
For further reading, see Catching a Second Wind and Windenergie in China at chinapolitik.de.
For more information, please contact Mirjam Meissner.