China’s Green Leap Forward

Rapidly increasing the demands of energy and continuously growing the economy, China needs massive amounts of energy. Also,

more immediately China’s leaders know that their country is in the midst of the biggest migration of people from the countryside to urban centers in the history of mankind. This is creating a surge in energy demand, which China is determined to meet with cleaner, homegrown sources so that its future economy will be less vulnerable to supply shocks and so it doesn’t pollute itself to death.

Op-Ed Columnist - Who’s Sleeping Now? - NYTimes.com

For these reasons they are quickly becoming Green more than any other countries.

China is also engaged in the world’s most rapid expansion of nuclear power. It is expected to build some 50 new nuclear reactors by 2020; the rest of the world combined might build 15.

“By the end of this decade, China will be dominating global production of the whole range of power equipment,” said Andrew Brandler, the C.E.O. of the CLP Group, Hong Kong’s largest power utility.

China is aggressively investing clean technologies: eSolar Wins Massive Solar Thermal Deal in China

Over the weekend solar thermal startup eSolar said it has won a licensing deal with Chinese power equipment maker Penglai Electric to build 2 GW of solar thermal projects in China over the next decade.

eSolar says this will be China’s largest solar thermal project — technology which uses mirrors and lenses to concentrate the sun rays to power a steam turbine — and the first 92 MW project will get built this year. A company called China Shaanxi Yulin Huayang New Energy Co. will own and operate the initial projects.

These movements clearly show that China’s Green Leap Forward is solid. Pressuring the gigantic population, the world fastest growing market, and growing concern of serious pollution, China has no choice that they need to be Green.

The Beijing leadership clearly understands that the E.T. — Energy Technology — revolution is both a necessity and an opportunity, and they do not intend to miss it.

There are clearly many more business chances, and we will see similar investments in China. I will keep eyes open for a further development.

Companies in the article:

eSolar: Utility-Scale Solar Power

CLP Group

Penglai Electric