As proposed by the Energy Research Institute of the National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC), Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory of the United States and the World Wildlife Fund for Nature, BECon was founded in December 1993, with the official approval of the NDRC. It is a non-profit, independent non-governmental energy conservation and promotion organization. Administratively, it belongs to the Energy Research Institute of NDRC. It has its own budget and accounting system, and can undertake activities independently.

The aim of BECon is to fully utilize the forceful supports of both Chinese and US Government, rely on the authoritative research institutes, research achievement and advanced technologies in both China and the United States to introduce and assist the foreign advanced technologies, equipment, funds and energy management experiences. It is to broaden the channel for international cooperation, information exchange and to promote energy conservation and environment protection in China. The ultimate purpose of BECon is to increase the energy efficiency in China and to protect the environment in which human life sustains.

The development objectives of BECon are to become a first class agency in China in research on energy conservation theory, policy and methodology, information dissemination, technological extension and consulting services in energy conservation. It is to become one of the major policy consulting and technology support agencies that the related energy conservation leading agencies of the China’s government rely on. It is also to become the core agency bridging both governments of China and the United States, non-governmental organization and enterprises to promote and undertake energy conservation activities.

BECon has a consultative group, a council and a standing establishment. The consultative group is consisted of senior officials in charge of energy conservation and environment protection in China. The council is composed by senior experts in related fields and officials with long connections with BECon. There are 12 staffs in BECon. They are responsible for the routine work, planning, management and actual implementation of projects. All the staff have bachelor degrees or higher. Among them, 3 hold Ph.D. and 2 have master degree. Also among the same group, there are 8 persons hold senior researching titles. Most of the staff has experiences of working in foreign countries and the background of working in the fields of energy economics, energy and environment for many years. Thus, BECon posses the human resources and abilities to undertake large scale cooperation projects inside and outside China in energy demand projection, analysis on energy efficiency systems, appraisal of energy conservation projects and those projects related to energy conservation and environment protection.

Since its founding, BECon has been focusing on energy conservation and environment protection research projects and other related works, and undertaken over 10 research projects entrusted by foreign agencies, market survey, and consulting service project up to the presents. Currently, BECon, as the technical support institutes to the NDRC, is organizing and implementing the following significant projects: “Energy Conservation and Promotion Project in China” and “China Green Lights Project” funded by the World Bank and GEF; “The Social/Economy/Energy Development and Carbon Emission Scenario Analysis for Mid-& Long- Term in China” funded by Packard Energy Fund and “Energy Conservation Planning for the Tenth-Five Plan and Ten Years Beyond”. In addition, BECon is initiating “China’s End-use Energy Efficiency Program (EUEEP)”. During nearly ten-year effective operation, BECon has set up its high-level research and consulting team, information network, and expert consulting system, and will continue to exert its advantage to play its role at national level.

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