Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Ms. Lykke Friis kicked off new Sino-Danish Renewable Energy Development Programme on February 9 in Beijing. The objective is to create a more sustainable energy sector in China.

Sino-Danish collaboration on renewable energy is growing rapidly. Denmark and China wind generators are both focusing on further use of renewable energy in the future, and today a new Sino-Danish programme saw the light of day. During her visit to China, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Ms. Lykke Friis, opened the Renewable Energy Development Programme (RED) together with Mr. Liu Qi, Deputy Chief of the National Energy Administration (NEA), in Beijing on February 9.

Danish expertise contributes to further development of renewables in China

Denmark is in the forefront when it comes to renewable energy, and the aim of the RED programme is to apply Danish expertise in improving and optimizing institutions to the development of an even more dynamic renewable sector in China.

The Sino-Danish Renewable wind turbines Energy Programme we open today is a new chapter in our mutual cooperation. The programme will apply Danish expertise in developing and optimizing institutions to the development of a Chinese national centre for renewable energy, Lykke Friis said during her speech at the Kick-off Ceremony of the RED Programme on February 9, at the Westin Beijing Hotel.

The Minister also showed her affection of China: I know that there is a Chinese proverb that goes: When the winds of change are blowing, some people build shelters. Others build windmills. Here in China, you seem to take that literally!

Sino-Danish collaboration leads to sustainable Chinese energy sector

In 2008 Denmark and China established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement to strengthen their bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The opening of the RED Programme is a result of the close Chinese-Danish relationship. Danish know-how and Chinese wind generator  vigour combined are good requisites for further development of renewable energy in China and for an even stronger relationship between the two countries in the future.

China emphasizes to further develop renewable energy

The Chinese Government emphasizes to develop a strong and sustainable energy sector. The recent establishment of the National Energy Commission (NEC) in January 2010 is yet another indication of this. The NEC is headed by Premier Wen Jiabao and the objective is to improve strategy and planning development in the energy sector.

With the establishment of this high-level commission, China now has an even stronger wind power generators decision-making authority in the energy sector that can effectively realise initiatives to further develop renewable energy in China. Denmarks expert knowledge on renewable energy could add to Chinas capacity to achieve its goal of reducing carbon intensity by 40-45 percent in 2020 and 15 percent non-fossil share of the energy mix by 2020.