Jan. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Richard Branson plans to establish a company in China to help the world's biggest emitter of climate-altering gases develop clean energy and cut emissions.
``We plan to invest quite heavily in it,'' said the billionaire, who is traveling with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his first visit to China as head of government. Branson's Virgin Group Ltd. invests in alternative-energy technologies including windmills, hydroelectric projects and solar power.
``China is being very proactive in trying to encourage the development of clean energy,'' Branson said during a briefing last night with journalists on his flight to Beijing. ``We have clean energy companies in Europe and America which have been developing clean fuels, wind power, solar power.''
China may become the world's leading market for wind-power generation within five years, according to a September estimate by Vestas Wind System A/S' Chief Executive Office Ditlev Engel. China, with 5,600 megawatts of installed wind-power capacity in 2007, wants non-fossil fuel sources including solar, wind and biomass to account for 10 percent of energy supplies by 2010 and 15 percent a decade later.
China last year surpassed the U.S. as the biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases. The country's emissions, driven by coal-fired power plants and the world's second-biggest vehicle market, may more than double to 11.4 billion tons by 2030, according to an estimate by the International Energy Agency.
Nurturing Alternative Energy
The Chinese government will give tax breaks, subsidies, fiscal incentives and establish special funds to develop renewable energy, said the National Development and Reform Commission's Vice Chairman Chen Deming on Sept. 4.
Wind-power generating capacity may total between 16,000 megawatts and 20,000 megawatts by 2010, far exceeding the Chinese government's 2010 target of 5,000 megawatts. China's investment to meet its 2020 renewable-energy target may be more than 2 trillion yuan ($276 billion), the commission said in September last year, higher than previous government estimates of 1.5 trillion yuan.
Beijing's city government this month started enforcing a stricter auto-fuel standard as part of efforts to reduce pollution in time for the Olympic Games in August, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing a government official.
Gasoline and diesel sold in the capital must meet the China IV standards, equivalent to the European Union's Euro IV requirements, Xinhua said. Beijing introduced China III fuel standards, with the goal of cutting annual sulfur dioxide emissions by 2,480 metric tons annually, at the end of 2005, the report said. The latest benchmark is intended to cut annual emissions by a further 1,840 tons, it said.
The U.K. and China signed eight agreements on education, climate change, renewable energy and the development of sustainable cities during Brown's visit.
Showing posts with label Clean Energy in china. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clean Energy in china. Show all posts
Funding for clean energy in China
The United Nations Environment Programme official predicted a strong and fast growth of clean energy investment in China, with fund flows favoring the wind and solar sectors.
"China has a huge potential in market demand and in recourses, prerequisites of the rising inflow of international investment," said Zhang Shigang, coordinator of UNEP China office at the launching ceremony of the Global Trends in Substantial Energy Investment 2008.
The report, jointly published by the UNEP and UK-based New Energy Finance, said that globally, investment between now and 2030 is expected to reach $450 billion a year by 2012, rising to more than $600 billion a year from 2020.
Last year new investment in sustainable energy surpassed $148 billion, a 60 percent rise from 2006, transactions mainly fuelled by the wind sector.
Although most money still flows to Europe and the US, China, India and Brazil are drawing increasing investor interest.
In China, investment in renewable capacity increased by 91 percent in 2007 to $10.8 billion and wind capacity doubled to 6 gW.
Li Junfeng, secretary-general of Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association said: "Most of these investments have gone to mini-hydro, solar water heating, and wind power projects. Around $6 billion to $10 billion has also been invested in large hydropower annually."
Currently, renewable energy accounts for 8.5 percent of China's primary energy supply and 16 percent of its electricity supply.
By 2020, these are expected to reach 15 percent and 21 percent respectively, or even higher.
Michael Liebreich, chairman and CEO of NEF, said: "It has been another year of impressive developments for the Chinese renewable energy industry.
"We should expect to see China take the lead in more and more sectors of the renewable energy industry in the next few years."
"China has a huge potential in market demand and in recourses, prerequisites of the rising inflow of international investment," said Zhang Shigang, coordinator of UNEP China office at the launching ceremony of the Global Trends in Substantial Energy Investment 2008.
The report, jointly published by the UNEP and UK-based New Energy Finance, said that globally, investment between now and 2030 is expected to reach $450 billion a year by 2012, rising to more than $600 billion a year from 2020.
Last year new investment in sustainable energy surpassed $148 billion, a 60 percent rise from 2006, transactions mainly fuelled by the wind sector.
Although most money still flows to Europe and the US, China, India and Brazil are drawing increasing investor interest.
In China, investment in renewable capacity increased by 91 percent in 2007 to $10.8 billion and wind capacity doubled to 6 gW.
Li Junfeng, secretary-general of Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association said: "Most of these investments have gone to mini-hydro, solar water heating, and wind power projects. Around $6 billion to $10 billion has also been invested in large hydropower annually."
Currently, renewable energy accounts for 8.5 percent of China's primary energy supply and 16 percent of its electricity supply.
By 2020, these are expected to reach 15 percent and 21 percent respectively, or even higher.
Michael Liebreich, chairman and CEO of NEF, said: "It has been another year of impressive developments for the Chinese renewable energy industry.
"We should expect to see China take the lead in more and more sectors of the renewable energy industry in the next few years."
Clean energy quietly taking hold in China
YANQING (CHINA) - TEENAGER Zhu Xiaotong's home a few hours' drive outside Beijing is a world away from the acrid air and snarling traffic jams in China's energy-hungry capital.
Cherry tomatoes, capsicum and spring onions rise up from a little garden patch. A solar panel heater ensures that the Zhus have warm water even in winter.
Ms Zhu, the 19-year-old daughter of cabbage farmers, cooks the family meal in their sparse kitchen on a new eco-friendly stove that burns crop waste instead of coal.
'There was a lot of smoke when we burnt the coal, but now there's no smoke at all. Coal smoke used to make us cough,' she said at their home in Yanqing, a picturesque farming district.
The stove, in fact, is being held up as a symbol of what many may be surprised to hear - that China could be one of the world's saviours in combating global warming.
Former US vice-president Al Gore recently presented Chinese firm Daxu, the makers of the stove, with an Ashden Award, a high-profile British honour that promotes world-leading sustainable technologies.
While China still relies on coal for 70 per cent of its energy needs and is the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, it is also quietly emerging as a global force in renewable-energy technologies.
This is being driven by government policies, China's own vast market and businesses seizing opportunities in a fast-growing global industry, according to the China programme manager for the Worldwatch Institute, Ms Liu Yingling.
'China has the potential to be a world leader in the renewable-energy sector,' Washington-based Ms Liu said. 'Changes (in China) are happening in the right directions towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, and the trends will likely be accelerated.'
China currently gets 8 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, and the official target is to increase that to around 15 per cent by 2020.
The drive will give China 30 per cent, or US$300 billion (S$440 billion), of worldwide orders for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and equipments in the coming five years, according to deputy commerce minister Wei Jiangguo.
Already, solar water heaters can be seen on the roofs of remote village homes and endless lines of new urban apartments.
China's ability to drive product costs down globally is also seen as a cause for optimism in the struggle against climate change.
For example, the country has emerged as the world's biggest and cheapest exporter of energy-saving light bulbs.
Chinese firms are also beginning to dominate the market for solar technologies. Jiangsu-based Suntech Power is one of the world's leading makers of equipment that turns sunlight into electricity.
Cherry tomatoes, capsicum and spring onions rise up from a little garden patch. A solar panel heater ensures that the Zhus have warm water even in winter.
Ms Zhu, the 19-year-old daughter of cabbage farmers, cooks the family meal in their sparse kitchen on a new eco-friendly stove that burns crop waste instead of coal.
'There was a lot of smoke when we burnt the coal, but now there's no smoke at all. Coal smoke used to make us cough,' she said at their home in Yanqing, a picturesque farming district.
The stove, in fact, is being held up as a symbol of what many may be surprised to hear - that China could be one of the world's saviours in combating global warming.
Former US vice-president Al Gore recently presented Chinese firm Daxu, the makers of the stove, with an Ashden Award, a high-profile British honour that promotes world-leading sustainable technologies.
While China still relies on coal for 70 per cent of its energy needs and is the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, it is also quietly emerging as a global force in renewable-energy technologies.
This is being driven by government policies, China's own vast market and businesses seizing opportunities in a fast-growing global industry, according to the China programme manager for the Worldwatch Institute, Ms Liu Yingling.
'China has the potential to be a world leader in the renewable-energy sector,' Washington-based Ms Liu said. 'Changes (in China) are happening in the right directions towards cleaner and more sustainable energy sources, and the trends will likely be accelerated.'
China currently gets 8 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, and the official target is to increase that to around 15 per cent by 2020.
The drive will give China 30 per cent, or US$300 billion (S$440 billion), of worldwide orders for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies and equipments in the coming five years, according to deputy commerce minister Wei Jiangguo.
Already, solar water heaters can be seen on the roofs of remote village homes and endless lines of new urban apartments.
China's ability to drive product costs down globally is also seen as a cause for optimism in the struggle against climate change.
For example, the country has emerged as the world's biggest and cheapest exporter of energy-saving light bulbs.
Chinese firms are also beginning to dominate the market for solar technologies. Jiangsu-based Suntech Power is one of the world's leading makers of equipment that turns sunlight into electricity.
Clean Technologies Create New Energy Tycoons in China
The Hurun Report, a luxury business magazine known for its annual surveys of China’s wealthiest citizens, recently released its 2006 China Energy Rich List, which ranks the wealth generated from the nation’s booming energy sector. Shi Zhengrong, a solar energy tycoon, tops the list with a personal wealth of US$1.95 billion, followed by Jia Tingliang and Wang Suolan with the coal company Shanxi Datuhe Coke & Chemicals, with US$525 million.
While entrepreneurs from traditional energy industries such as coal mining, oil and gas distribution, and power generation still dominate the energy “rich list” (occupying more than half of the fifty spots), the share of wealthy Chinese representing the “clean energy” sector—which includes solar and wind power, batteries, bioenergy, incineration power generation, and thermal energy—has increased to 14, up from only 4 last year. Rupert Hoogewerf, CEO of the Hurun Report, concedes that “valuing the wealth of China’s Rich is as much an art as it is a science,” but believes the list offers a useful glimpse into the dynamics of China’s energy market and illustrates how private companies struggle to share the energy pie with their state-owned counterparts.
According to Shanghai Security Daily, the 2006 list reflects two main trends: the ongoing restructuring of China’s traditional coal mining industry, and the rapid entry of private companies into the clean energy field. The coal industry restructuring, which is being overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), is intended to accelerate technological modernization and improve the industry’s ability to meet projected growth in demand—as well as protect the environment and improve industrial safety, according to Xinhua News. Under new policies, several large private coal companies have been able to merge, renovate, and regroup smaller mines, enter the overseas market with their competitive costs, and switch to deep coal refining. These activities have contributed to the emergence of several new tycoons.
Unlike those in traditional energy industries (also known as “black gold” industries), investors in the clean energy field have been able to strike it rich by adopting cutting-edge clean technologies. In addition to rich-list leader Shi Zhengrong, who has built Suntech Power into one of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturers, five other Chinese entrepreneurs have generated large amounts of wealth for themselves by investing in solar technologies. Another clean-energy giant is Yu Jianqui, the head of Gushan Group, a leading biodiesel producer in China, who ranks fifth overall with a personal wealth of US$400 million.
Dr. Wu Daohong, who heads Beijing Shenwu Thermal Energy Co., Ltd. (BSTET), a company dedicated to the research and development of energy-efficiency technologies, ranks 21st on the list. His firm recently became the first Chinese member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, a U.S.-based greenhouse gas emissions registry, reduction, and trading system. Clean technology has also fostered the emergence of “green” heroes in the power generation industry. Dou Zhenggang, president of Jinjiang Group and No. 11 on the list, owns China’s largest private company that generates power from waste incineration, with more than 10 facilities across the country.
State-owned companies continue to dominate China’s fossil fuel industry, making it difficult for private enterprises to make their mark in petroleum exploration and refining (though they are involved to some degree in distribution). However, the Chinese government has encouraged broad participation from all sectors in developing the nation’s renewable energy market. On February 28, 2005, the State Council (China’s parliament) passed the Law on Renewable Energy Resources, which came into effect on January 1 of this year. The goal of the law is to “improve China’s energy structure, diversify energy supplies, safeguard energy security, protect the environment, and realize the sustainable development of the economy and society.”
While entrepreneurs from traditional energy industries such as coal mining, oil and gas distribution, and power generation still dominate the energy “rich list” (occupying more than half of the fifty spots), the share of wealthy Chinese representing the “clean energy” sector—which includes solar and wind power, batteries, bioenergy, incineration power generation, and thermal energy—has increased to 14, up from only 4 last year. Rupert Hoogewerf, CEO of the Hurun Report, concedes that “valuing the wealth of China’s Rich is as much an art as it is a science,” but believes the list offers a useful glimpse into the dynamics of China’s energy market and illustrates how private companies struggle to share the energy pie with their state-owned counterparts.
According to Shanghai Security Daily, the 2006 list reflects two main trends: the ongoing restructuring of China’s traditional coal mining industry, and the rapid entry of private companies into the clean energy field. The coal industry restructuring, which is being overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), is intended to accelerate technological modernization and improve the industry’s ability to meet projected growth in demand—as well as protect the environment and improve industrial safety, according to Xinhua News. Under new policies, several large private coal companies have been able to merge, renovate, and regroup smaller mines, enter the overseas market with their competitive costs, and switch to deep coal refining. These activities have contributed to the emergence of several new tycoons.
Unlike those in traditional energy industries (also known as “black gold” industries), investors in the clean energy field have been able to strike it rich by adopting cutting-edge clean technologies. In addition to rich-list leader Shi Zhengrong, who has built Suntech Power into one of the world’s leading solar cell manufacturers, five other Chinese entrepreneurs have generated large amounts of wealth for themselves by investing in solar technologies. Another clean-energy giant is Yu Jianqui, the head of Gushan Group, a leading biodiesel producer in China, who ranks fifth overall with a personal wealth of US$400 million.
Dr. Wu Daohong, who heads Beijing Shenwu Thermal Energy Co., Ltd. (BSTET), a company dedicated to the research and development of energy-efficiency technologies, ranks 21st on the list. His firm recently became the first Chinese member of the Chicago Climate Exchange, a U.S.-based greenhouse gas emissions registry, reduction, and trading system. Clean technology has also fostered the emergence of “green” heroes in the power generation industry. Dou Zhenggang, president of Jinjiang Group and No. 11 on the list, owns China’s largest private company that generates power from waste incineration, with more than 10 facilities across the country.
State-owned companies continue to dominate China’s fossil fuel industry, making it difficult for private enterprises to make their mark in petroleum exploration and refining (though they are involved to some degree in distribution). However, the Chinese government has encouraged broad participation from all sectors in developing the nation’s renewable energy market. On February 28, 2005, the State Council (China’s parliament) passed the Law on Renewable Energy Resources, which came into effect on January 1 of this year. The goal of the law is to “improve China’s energy structure, diversify energy supplies, safeguard energy security, protect the environment, and realize the sustainable development of the economy and society.”
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