Daily Archives: June 12, 2009

“We need to recognize that if we aren’t careful, we may spend the next few years chasing China to do more, but then spend all the years after that chasing them”

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

Todd Stern

The top climate change envoy for President Barack Obama warned, before heading to Beijing for talks with his Chinese counterparts this week that the US could fall behind China.

The US team is pressing China to do more in terms of slowing the growth in emissions. They are right. Regardless of the massive “new energy” investment, the country will remain dependent on coal and pump out more greenhouse gas than other nations for decades to come. True to its ability to produce superlatives and contradictions, China is likely to be both a black and a green superpower at the same time.

But the new energy plans may change the perceptions and parameters of the climate debate. While a proper assesment must wait until the details are released, the stimulus package ought to force Europe and the US to be more ambitious. The world might finally start to see a race to the top rather than the bottom.

Source:  The Guardian.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in China, Technologies, Thoughts, U.S.

China makes renewable power play to be world’s first green superpower

Posted on June 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

Jonathan Watts

The State Council, China’s cabinet, will soon release the details of a staggeringly large “new energy” programme that could propel the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter past Europe and the US into a global leader in renewable energy and low-carbon technology.

The size of the energy stimulus has not yet been revealed, but reports in the domestic media and from foreign diplomats suggest between 1.4 trillion (US$200 bn) and 4.5 trillion yuan (US$600bn) will be invested over the next ten years in nuclear power plants, solar and wind farms, hydroelectric dams, “green transport”, “clean coal” and super efficient electric grids.

China already makes most of the world’s solar panels and wind turbines. Its carmakers, such as BYD, are pushing ahead faster than established Japanese and American rivals to mass produce electric vehicles. Its carbon capture technology and high-efficiency “ultrasupercritical” coal plants are close to the global cutting edge. With the new package, the government will commit itself to developing domestic markets for these “sunrise” industries. 

The speed at which the country can move has already been shown in the wind sector, where installed capacity has been doubling every year. According to Changhua Wu, director of the Climate Group’s China operations, the pace will be quicker for solar. “They are learning from best practice. It took 15 years to do it in the wind sector. They want to go more quickly now.”

The government’s targets for wind power have already risen threefold, solar is likely to go up two to fourfold and nuclear sixfold. Overall, China will raise its target for renewables from 15 per cent of total energy by 2020, possibly even surpassing Europe’s goal of 20 per cent by that date. By that time, China should also have a super high voltage grid.

Source: The Guardian.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in China, Technologies