Green Evidence for Energy Security Transformation in China: Re- conceptualization of Energy Security and Its Implication to China’s Renewable Energy Policy Change

Abstract

China has grown to a global large energy consumer since 1993, and surpassed the U.S. to become the top energy consumption country in 2010. Energy security is indispensable to the rapid and sustained development of China’s economy. Different from the realist geopolitics and liberalist analyzing approach, the author constructs a dynamic constructivist theoretical framework of energy security and tends to explore the unique re‐conceptualization trajectory of Chinese energy security: from self‐sufficiency security with emphasis on the internal supply (first stage) to “go abroad” supply‐oriented energy security highlighting the external expansion of sufficient energy at reasonable price (second stage), then to comprehensive energy security concept focusing on international cooperation, energy diversification, energy conservation and low‐carbon economy(third stage). Especially the transition from “decreasing energy intensity” to “reducing the carbon intensity” in the third stage has shown the conceptual shifting from the static energy security to dynamic resilience energy security. Based on the discourse and institutional analysis, the author further illustrates the profound constraints of climate change scenario to energy security in China as well as their interacting relations. Finally the author points out that the green evidence for energy security concept transformation has exerted significant impact on renewable energy policy‐making, which opening “the window of opportunity” for rapid renewable energy development in China.