Abstract:

In this chapter, the UK and China have been chosen as two countries which have achieved successes in decarbonising their respective economies through the deployment of significant levels of renewable energy resources; however, each has adopted a differing energy transition strategy. The UK pioneered renewable energy incentives and various government policy instruments have been applied, including direct subsidies, green certificates and feed-in-tariffs. The country now looks to move away from government incentives towards greater corporate involvement. Policies have also been introduced in transportation and other sectors, to decarbonise the economy by 2050. China represents an example of a government-led, top-down approach to energy transitioning building the world’s largest installed capacity of hydropower, solar PV and wind power. In other sectors such as e-mobility, decarbonisation policies and initiatives by local and central government are driving a shift in favour of the use of electric vehicles.