RAP, in partnership with the Beijing office of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), develops and presents trainings in China on demand-side management (DSM) and energy efficiency.

Following the January 2011 implementation of China’s energy efficiency obligation, the need for training has greatly increased. China’s two large grid companies, which supply electricity to end-use customers in China, must now deliver electricity savings. Government agencies are tasked with overseeing this new endeavour, as well as implementing energy efficiency programs under China’s extensive system of setting energy efficiency targets.

Each two- or three-day training session offers central and provincial government agency and grid company staff, and staff of other relevant organizations such as ESCOs, with an opportunity to further their technical skills. Topics include planning and constructing an efficiency power plant, the role of power sector regulators in promoting DSM and energy efficiency, managing and operating an energy services company (ESCO), and various technical issues, such as energy-efficient optimization of fans, pumps, and compressed air systems. A mix of international experts and Chinese trainers conduct each session.

RAP and NRDC are also working to support China’s national training curriculum on DSM and energy efficiency. In September 2012, RAP and NRDC sponsored video recordings of training modules on energy efficient optimisation of compressed air and fan systems. These modules will form part of the national training curriculum.