Recent advances in decarbonising heating in rural China: A review

Space heating in rural China is dominated by solid fuels, with high levels of associated carbon emissions. Despite government efforts to shift from traditional biomass to modern energy systems, progress remains modest. To assess the current advancements in this field and identify remaining obstacles, this study systematically and comprehensively reviews 178 sources published during a recent five-year period on rural household space heating in China. Guided by an assessment framework triangulating governance, technology, and equity, this review highlights a wide array of technical solutions in the field of low-carbon energy, which, nevertheless, remain disconnected from the social and equity realities. Extant approaches are dominated by technological modelling and top-down ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutionism, while the real-world application of technology, users' experiences, socioeconomic considerations, and local contexts are largely neglected, impeding the transition to low-carbon heating and raising the inequality of energy poverty. These findings speak for the importance of integrating social and spatial aspects in future research and reemphasizing households and communities in energy transitions towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7). • A systematic review of 178 academic sources is conducted. • Research on renewable heating systems prevails in the extant literature. • Technical solutions rarely register with users' needs and experience. • The field is dominated by technological modelling and technocratic solutionism. • Affordability, social vulnerability, and justice lack due attention.