The Institutional Change Logic and Dynamic Evolution of China's Energy Storage Policies: A Long-Term Evaluation based on Social Network Analysis (2011-2024)

Fujian Song

doi:10.6981/FEM.202601_7(1).0004

Authors

Fujian Song

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6981/FEM.202601_7(1).0004

Keywords:

China's Energy Storage Policy; Dynamic Evolution; Social Network Analysis; Co-occurrence Analysis; Policy Metrics.

Abstract

As fundamental infrastructure for modern power systems, energy storage represents a pivotal enabler of worldwide sustainable energy strategies. Comprehending the trajectory of policy system evolution is essential to resolving key challenges in energy governance. Despite China leading in global energy storage deployment, current studies exhibit substantial limitations in deciphering the policy system's evolutionary dynamics, stage-specific features, and developmental trajectories. We construct a textual database of 121 central government policy documents, applying social network analysis through Python's Jieba tokenization and Gephi network visualization to decode keyword co-occurrence patterns, which illuminates the policy hotspot evolution and institutional transition mechanisms during 2011-2024. The research reveals a three-phase policy evolution: from "technology demonstration guidance" to "market ecosystem cultivation" and ultimately "system-level integration promotion", evolving from unitary fiscal support to an integrated framework incorporating market-based incentives, regulatory standards, and multi-stakeholder governance, resulting in synergistic advancement across three dimensions: institutional adaptability strengthening, market mechanism diversification, and technological paradigm shifts. The policy architecture exhibits comprehensive restructuring involving coordinated governance among generation facilities, grid operators, and end-users, along with perfected market mechanisms combining capacity payments, electricity spot trading, and ancillary service provisions, plus innovative policy models integrating mandatory standardization, commercial viability drivers, and core technology breakthroughs. These findings offer valuable institutional innovation references for international energy storage policy formulation.

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