Low carbon economy and sustainable energy development in rural areas of Sichuan Province, China

Sichuan Province faces several development challenges including those linked to climate change. Energy usage in Sichuan Province, for example, is already constrained because of a range of development challenges (energy availability; access; affordability of alternative energy sources; and a range of health impacts, including air pollution). There calls for a transition to a low carbon energy options. Although the major obstacles preventing people from discontinuing domestic traditional biomass fuels or coal combustion are poverty, the ready availability and social acceptability of energy options cannot be underrated. This paper therefore highlights some of the persistent challenges associated with sustainable energy transitions in Sichuan Province. We aim to explore how renewable and low-carbon energies can maintain sustainable rural energy development and partially replace fossil fuels development in rural areas of Sichuan Province and thereby serve as mitigation options is a possible future transition towards a low-carbon system relying on renewable and low-carbon energies.