SOLAR MAGA recent research conducted by the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association revealed that, air pollution is the pollution issue which Chinese people are most concerned about. Factory fumes, transportation and thermal power generation are considered to be the main causes of air pollution. Additionally, nearly 97% of the 3,000 respondents in this research agreed the development of green power can help reduce the air pollution.
It is beyond our imagination that Chinese consumers greatly prefer purchasing renewable energy like solar power, wind power and biomass power, to thermal power. To be specific, about 97.6% of the respondents chose YES, when they were asked: “Would you purchase green power, if you can choose the source of power by yourself?” And among the 97.6%, more than 40% expressed they would be CERTAIN to purchase if there’s an opportunity for them. When carrying out an in-depth analysis, we can also find that:
- Those who range in age from 45 to 59 have a stronger purchase intention of green power than others;
- The overall purchase intention of the female is slightly higher than that of the male;
- People with a higher level of education are most likely to purchase.
In terms of the extra expense, when being asked how much money would be acceptable to them, a total of 90.6% of these people said they’re pleased to add more than 10 yuan monthly. And those who would add 10-30 yuan per month account for up to 44.0%.
“Both the United States and United Kingdom have carried out similar research in the last two years; some research showed that about 50% of the respondents in the United States and 48% of the respondents in the United Kingdom are willing to pay more money for renewable energy;” said by Peng Peng, the director of the Policy Research and Consulting Department of the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association. “By contrast, Chinese consumers show a stronger purchase intention than those in other countries. More and more consumers in China prefer green power or renewable energy, and most of them are willing to pay more. But it is a pity that consumers fail to find a proper way to get it.”
Chinese Consumers Desire a Self-serve Channel to Purchase Green Power
In other words, Chinese consumers presently have no right to choose the source of power by themselves; while consumers in some countries like Germany and the United States, are able to choose where their power comes from. The research referred above also showed that 87.9% of the respondents hope to learn the composition (like thermal power, hydropower, renewable power or nuclear power) of the power supply on their monthly power bill, or when purchasing power from their local suppliers. Simultaneously, the research suggested that grid companies should firstly provide consumers with a platform to view the composition of power supply, and then speed up the establishment of a self-serve channel for consumers to choose the source of power and purchase green power. comment↓
*Reference: THE PAPER
