Renewable Energy Legislation in China:Politicaland Institutional Strategy for EffectiveImplementation

Over the past decade, the Chinese government has developed several plans regulations and policy measures related to the development of renewable energy technologies and has implemented a series of pilot projects. Chinese policymakers have spent several years studying how renewable energy policy models that have been used internationally could be implemented in China. Programs are currently underway to implement pilot renewable portfolio standards, or mandatory market shares (MMS) for renewable energy, in several provinces. This paper examines the primary institutions that are involved in promoting renewable policies in China, the structure of the policies that currently are being drafted, and the status of the complementary, national-level renewable energy law being drafted to provide a legal basis for ongoing local and national-level policies. It then examines the legal requirements for promoting renewable energy legislation under the Chinese law-making system. Finally, it provides recommendations

Do smart city policies improve energy efficiency?Evidence from China

To address air pollution and offer a convenient and comfortable living environment,the Chinese government launched a smart city pilot(SCP)project in 2012,accompanied by a comprehensive set of environmental and energy-related laws and regulations.Although academic interest in smart cities has surged,there remains a notable gap in empirical research exploring the economic,environmental,and energy effects of such initiatives.Taking 232 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2017 as research subjects,this study measures energy effi‐ciency by using energy consumption per unit of GDP and adopts a difference-in-differences(DID)analysis to investigate the impact of SCPs on energy efficiency.The empirical results indicate that SCPs improved energy efficiency by promoting urban technological innovation capabilities and green total factor productivity,and this effect was more pronounced in cities that were more dependent on traditional fossil fuel energy sources and had more developed fiscal and financial levels.Studying the impact of smart city construction on energy utilization efficiency in developing countries,such as China,is not only significantly enlightening for China’s green and low-carbon transition but also provides reference opinions for constructing smart cities and the path to enhancing energy efficiency in other developing countries.The findings provide valuable insights into the global development of smart cities,urban sustainability,and high-quality economic growth.

Legislative Impact on Significance of RES in the Latvian Energy Market

Latvia is a new European Union country, with 20-year experience in the efforts to develop the energy policy that would favour reliable supply of the state with energy and promote its effective and rational utilization. The energy law should take into consideration the technological progress and increasing energy consumption as well as the poorly regulated sphere of production and utilization. At present, new regulations are needed, as the existent ones have become outdated and unable to ensure stable development of the energy sector. However, the lack of experience and sometimes external influence could lead to a situation when the new law would not be conducive to the industrial development but vice-versa-would slow it down. Since Latvia has been confronted by counterproductive laws, it is highly important to estimate beforehand the future impact of legislation on the state economy. On issue of for the country is now to guarantee-by force of law-the optimal share of renewable energy in the national energy mix. The objective set within the framework of European Union policy is to achieve a 40% share of renewable energy by 2020; therefore, it is necessary to work out a separate law concerning the RES （renewable energy sources）. The new RES law is to regulate support and to promote increase in the share of renewable. However, there are many influencing factors--not clearly specified outlooks for the energy sector and national economy development, the interests of energy importers, lobbying, etc.; these factors can make the RES law not only ineffective but even negatively affecting the RES share stability in the state energy balance. It is therefore essential, before the law has been adopted, to thoroughly analyze it so that the optimal variant is accepted.