Key actors and their motives for wind energy innovation in China

Today China is the world's largest wind energy manufacturer and has the world's largest installed wind capacity. To create an improved understanding of the Chinese wind energy sector, this paper assesses the role of the key actors including key government authorities, energy firms, research institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The paper also assesses the motives of these key actors for driving wind energy innovation at industrial level. The paper finds that the primary motives driving wind energy innovation in China seem to be concerns related to energy security and economic growth rather than only concerns about climate change. The paper also finds that the key actors and their motives tend to influence the direction, speed, development and implementation of wind energy policies and technological trajectories for wind energy innovation. Hence analysing the key actors' motives can provide new insights into how the Chinese wind sector will develop in the future – both in terms of policy and in terms of technological trajectories.