, Auto-Opstroom.com: China to become world leader in renewables

China to become world leader in renewables



Yet still world’s biggest polluter!

According to Jim Efstathiou of the Bloomberg new service, China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, is poised to lead world production of solar cells, wind power turbines and low-carbon energy technology.

China's position as a renewable-energy consumer and manufacturer runs counter to its ranking as one of the world's biggest polluters and the country's rapid expansion of coal-fired power generation. About 75% of China's electricity comes from coal, says Changhue China director for the Climate Group, who is based in Beijing.

“They have to do clean energy because they can't just do more and more dirty energy,'' according to Michael Liebreich chief executive officer of London-based New New Energy Finance Ltd which provides research to clean-energy investors. “We're seeing China as being a Number 1, 2 or 3 player in lots of different sectors in this industry.''

China is closing older coal-fired power plants and replacing them with more efficient coal generators, Wu said in a July 25 interview. While China will continue to rely on coal to fuel its rapid economic growth, state officials understand the need to transition to clean energy.

The government wants to reduce the amount of energy China uses to produce each unit of economic output by 20% in two years and has told its 1,000 largest energy-consuming companies to cut their power consumption even more, according to the report.

The energy intensity of China's economy dropped 92 % between 1980 and 2006, according to the report.

About 16 % of China's electricity came from renewable sources in 2006, led by the world's largest number of hydroelectric generators, according to the report. The nation's goal is to increase the proportion of renewable electricity to 23 % by 2020.

China invested over $12 billion in renewable energy in 2007, second only to Germany. The nation needs to invest another $398 billion to reach its 2020 renewable energy goals, an average of $33 billion a year.

More information: www.bloomberg.net