Ten of China’s Ongoing Investment Efforts in Renewable Energy!

DID YOU KNOW THAT …..?

1- It is official: China is now the world’s largest consumer of energy, surpassing the US in 2009, according to the International Energy Agency. It is now poised to spend $473.1 billion on clean energy investments in the next five years. China also wants 20 per cent of its total energy demand to be met by wind and solar by 2021.

2- In terms of solar power, China is projected to surpass Germany in 2013 as the world’s largest market for solar energy. As of 2011, China produced three-fifths of all the solar panels in the world and exported 95% of these panels much of them going to the United States.

3- Located in the northwestern province of Gansu, in the ancient garrison town of Jiuquan on the old Silk Road, wind turbines now stretch into the desert landscape with the capacity to generate 6GW of wind energy – roughly equivalent to that of the whole UK. The plan is to more than triple that number by 2015, when this area could become the biggest wind farm in the world.

4- China is now in the midst of constructing the largest offshore wind farm in the world in its northern Hebei province. With an investment of 913 million, the wind farm will consist of 100 units of 3 megawatts offshore turbines. It will be located near Puti Island in Bohai Sea and completed in 2015. When it goes into operation, the wind farm will generate 752 million kilowatt-hours of electric power annually.

5- Since 2009, China has embarked on the largest Green Hotel Plan in the world – building 10,000 green hotels over a four year period – 1000 green hotels in 2009, 2000 green hotels in 2010, 3000 green hotels in 2011, and 4000 green hotels in 2012.

6- China, the world’s largest automotive market is planning to become the electric vehicle mecca of the world – producing one million electric cars by 2020. To meet the challenge of sustainable mobility, both Iranian investors and Chinese industrial units announced just this month a joint venture to manufacture electric cars in Shanghai in an attempt to reduce air pollution in Iran. Meanwhile, Germany’s automaker, Daimler AG, and China’s battery and car producer, BYD Co., will be launching a new electric car brand next year called the “DENZA”.

7- Since 1978, China has been planting a series of forest strips called “The Green Wall of China” designed to hold back the expansion of the Gobi Desert. This green program is scheduled to be completed by 2050 and 2,800 miles in length.

8- The world’s largest sustainable city or eco-city, Tianjin, is now being developed with the hottest energy-saving technologies. Located 93 miles southeast from Beijing, it will extend 30 square kilometers, equal to half the size of Manhattan Island in the USA, and be home for 350,000 residents.

9- Beginning this year, China’s government is set to invest $25.2 million to explore and evaluate shallow-lying geothermal energy spots in 29 provincial capital cities across the country. In addition, water investments are set to double in the 12th Five Year Plan (2011-2015) with more than $4.54 billion being allocated for water and wastewater treatments.

10- Last October, Air China and American-based aerospace company, Boeing, conducted China’s first sustainable biofuel flight on a Boeing 747 – a two hour overland flight from Beijing Capital International Airport using jatropha-based aviation biofuel developed in southwest China by PetroChina blended together with Honeywell’s UOP Green Jet Fuel. Air China and Boeing are now working on plans for a trans-Pacific flight between China and the USA with biofuel sourced from both countries. In addition America’s Boeing has signed a collaboration agreement with China’s National Energy Administration for further study of regional biofuel development.

But China isn’t the only country undergoing a green revolution – we shall now look to Monaco, Morocco, and the Mideast in our next posting and the efforts being made there by the ruling families of each region – known today as the “Green Royals”.