U.S.- China Clean Energy Collaboration: Lessons from the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium

This working paper evaluates the first five years (Phase I, 2011–2015) of the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium (ACTC) under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC). The ACTC focuses on advancing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and coal utilization. While the collaboration has fostered mutual trust between the United States and China, the paper identifies administrative, organizational, and technical barriers to effective joint research, development, and demonstration (RD&D).

• The U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) was established in 2009 and renewed in 2014, consisting of consortia focused on building efficiency, clean energy vehicles, advanced coal technology, the water-energy nexus, and energy efficiency for medium-duty to heavy-duty trucks.
• Despite building mutual trust between the U.S. and China, the paper notes that achieving effective bilateral cooperation in joint RD&D is hindered by technical, organizational, and administrative differences across national borders.
• To enhance the performance of the CERC-ACTC in its second phase, the paper recommends increasing private sector engagement, consolidating resources for joint RD&D, prioritizing CCS demonstration projects, improving communication and coordination, and transforming the CERC into a more open platform.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). U.S.- China Clean Energy Collaboration: Lessons from the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium. https://www.wri.org/research/us-china-clean-energy-collaboration-lessons-advanced-coal-technology-consortium

Chicago

World Resources Institute. U.S.- China Clean Energy Collaboration: Lessons from the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/us-china-clean-energy-collaboration-lessons-advanced-coal-technology-consortium.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=U.S.- China Clean Energy Collaboration: Lessons from the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium |url=https://www.wri.org/research/us-china-clean-energy-collaboration-lessons-advanced-coal-technology-consortium |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendchina, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{U.S.- China Clean Energy Collaboration: Lessons from the Advanced Coal Technology Consortium}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/us-china-clean-energy-collaboration-lessons-advanced-coal-technology-consortium}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }