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The Moon May Solve Our Energy Problems

Oct 24th, 2008
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Celebrity vet Eric Lai shares his views on society through the eyes of animals. Give him your feedback at urbanjungle@scmp.com
Dr Eric Lai – SCMP | Updated on Oct 24, 2008

Like many young people, I was brought up with a healthy dose of information about space exploration to stimulate my imagination. I’m not exactly sure what is so enticing about the mysteries of space, but I suspect it is similar to what prehistoric man saw as he looked up at the myriad stars and planets.

We are essentially looking at the same sky and, when I find myself on holiday somewhere on a pristine beach away from the light pollution of Hong Kong, I am reminded of the immensity of the universe, with its unfathomable size that generates so much awe and humbles mankind. I may know a little more about the cosmos than our prehistoric ancestors, but probably not that much more in the context of the whole universe.

I remember seeing Halley’s Comet on its last visit in 1986 and, in the same year, Voyager 2’s flyby of Uranus. It was simply a stunning time to be alive, to witness such events as they happened.

During the 1990s space exploration really did slow down, as the countries of the world came back down to Earth to handle the more mundane problem of running the planet and its inhabitants.

But I have noticed in the past year that there seems to be something stirring in the sphere of space exploration, rather than just rhetoric. Several new countries are vying for space real estate left over by the US and the former Soviet Union. There was also the recent unmanned mission to the moon, Chang’e 1. It was the first phase of the Chinese lunar programme, which will hopefully end with ore samples from the moon and, one day, a base there. Then there was the launch of the Indian Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft this week. Like the Chang’e mission, it will send a robotic satellite that will orbit the moon and map the surface. Both hope to find subsurface water and a resource called helium-3.

Just hearing this news of space exploration on the radio and television in the past year has made the less imaginative and more practical part of me wonder why these countries are so belatedly sending missions to the moon when the Americans already did so with the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. I can’t imagine any government spending billions of dollars simply for national pride anymore. Like the western world, China has grown beyond the darker times of propaganda into an era of modern communications, where the truth can’t be muffled so easily. So why are China, India, the United States and even countries like Kenya showing renewed interest in the moon?

I found the answer when I heard the term “helium-3” mentioned, although I was surprised it was the reason. When I was doing physics, I learnt that helium-3 is a non-radioactive isotope of regular helium-4. The beauty of helium-3 in a fusion reactor is that the byproducts are less radioactive and, hence, produce less radioactive waste. Current fusion-type reactions indirectly create electricity by heating up water, but when using helium-3, water is not needed and electricity can be generated directly in a more efficient process.

I remember raising my hand in our physics lecture when I first learned about this process to ask the lecturer why we weren’t using it, because it sounded too good to be true. He said: “Helium-3 is rare on Earth and the total amount probably couldn’t generate enough electricity for Australia for two years.”

When I heard that there was helium-3 on the moon, I quickly did some research and some quick maths. There are about 15 tonnes of helium-3 found naturally on Earth, but there are an estimated 1 to 5 million tonnes under the moon’s surface, specifically in an ore called lunar regolith.

Official sources say China needs about 10 tonnes of helium-3 to power the country for a year. My quick calculations are based on China needing 15- 20 tonnes realistically, considering we are not likely to get 100 per cent efficiency. We’ll probably need 150 to 200 tonnes a year to power the entire planet. If it is true about the volume available on the moon, there should be enough there for at least 5,000 to 25,000 years.

No wonder there is a rush to get back on the moon. It is not going to happen overnight, of course. It is predicted a prototype fusion power plant using helium-3 won’t be in operation until 2050 at the earliest, and it will take time for lunar-mined helium-3 to be viable – but it may be worth the wait.

The whole story really gives me hope for mankind. It tells me that there are people in government that have a long-term vision for our planet’s future. It also instils hope that one day, living, working and exploring space will be viable options, when energy is plentiful and cheap. I hope I live long enough to see the return of Halley’s Comet and the mining of the moon.

Raising The Bar

Oct 9th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Updated on Oct 09, 2008 – SCMP

In return for receiving assistance, Hong Kong has a responsibility to return the favour. As the most economically advanced city in China, it should be a high environmental achiever. In exchange for receiving some of the natural gas the mainland desperately needs, under a new memorandum, Hong Kong should commit itself to an aggressive low-carbon programme to help meet national goals.

So far, the Tsang administration has only focused on the benefits we accrue – lower tariffs and cleaner air. Hong Kong should appreciate that, despite all Beijing’s efforts to secure energy supplies, there will still be a shortage of cleaner fuels to power development.

Since the late 1990s, China has been building a network of natural-gas arteries. Today, there are around 24,000km of pipelines; by 2010, this figure should increase to 36,000km. From now, until 2020, we will see the rapid development of China’s natural-gas industry.

Yet, the mainland will continue to have inadequate supplies. The shortfall will have to be met through imports via land pipelines from Central Asia, as well as liquefied natural gas imports from elsewhere.

Hong Kong needs to view Beijing’s willingness to give us some of its natural gas in the context of the country’s overall energy profile. Energy is a finite global commodity, and its supply and demand affect us all. Policymakers in Hong Kong need to do their best not just to secure supplies but also to conserve energy and use it efficiently.

For example, Hong Kong undoubtedly has the capacity to substantially improve the energy efficiency of buildings. It can also use demand-side tools to get the electricity companies to find innovative ways to work with customers, so that reducing consumption and improving efficiency are rewarded financially. The utilities should be allowed to earn more from energy savings, and customers can also benefit by paying less. Currently, the schemes of control have weak demand-side incentives.

The government had said it has an open-market energy policy and is paving the way for the possible opening up of the electricity market. And it will look into enhanced interconnection between the two power companies’ grids. The administration sees this as a way to promote competition in the future, as well as possibly opening up the electricity market to others.

What might this mean? Will the government consider a compulsory purchase to buy the grids, in the public interest? There may well be good reason for the power grid to be a public asset, like the airwaves. Anyone who generates power could then use the grid.

Does the government see a future in distributed power – that is, on-site, decentralised power generation that can reduce transmission loss and increase supply security? Imagine buildings generating their own power using renewable technologies, and only tapping into the grid occasionally.

A low-carbon economy will probably involve all these efforts, and more. It is time for Hong Kong to show real appreciation for Beijing’s generosity.

As the nation’s most developed city, Hong Kong should be best placed to align its regulatory, management, financial and technological capacities to define how a city can grow but emit a lot less carbon and other pollutants.

With traditional financial services in a bad state, it is also a good time to test new ideas. For example, now that projects in Hong Kong can earn carbon credits, under the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism, what advantage can be gained from that?

So, it will be disappointing if the chief executive gives us another “business as usual” policy address next week that ignores environmental needs and the consequences of climate change.

Christine Loh Kung-wai is chief executive of the think-tank Civic Exchange. cloh@civic-exchange.org

China Can Forge Ahead In Developing Renewable Energy

Oct 3rd, 2008
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Green power

Michael Richardson – Updated on Oct 03, 2008 – SCMP

The latest tally of greenhouse gas emissions blamed for warming the world shows that China has emerged as the top polluter, ahead of the United States, by an increasingly big margin. Released last week, the scientific findings of the Global Carbon Project show that, last year, more than half the world ‘s emissions came from the high-growth economies of developing countries, led by China and India, and that this share is rising because emissions from developed economies are growing less fast.

The project’s Australia-based executive director, Pep Canadell, said that China alone accounted for 60 per cent of the emissions growth last year. This was due to its heavy reliance on coal for generating electricity and oil for transport fuel. Yet the world’s most populous nation is also a global leader in harnessing renewable energy, particularly hydro, wind, solar and biomass power.

As recession and the credit crisis in the west crimp lending and investment in relatively expensive alternative energy, can China seize the initiative and keep funding its drive to become less dependent on fossil fuels? This assumes, of course, that China’s banking system will remain immune from the contagion afflicting the US and Europe. If normal lending continues and business can take advantage of incentives put in place by the government, China could forge ahead of competitors in developing renewable power. This would strengthen its energy security and international efforts to prevent disastrous climate change.

China invested more than US$10 billion in new renewable energy capacity last year, second only to Germany, according to the Worldwatch Institute in Washington. Most of the money was for small hydropower projects, solar hot water and wind power. Meanwhile, annual investment in large hydropower schemes continues at a somewhat lower level. A renewable energy law, effective from the start of 2006, requires power grid operators in China to buy electricity from registered producers of renewable energy. It also offers tax incentives and subsidies to promote investment in the sector.

China gets 8 per cent of its energy and 17 per cent of its electricity from renewables – shares that will rise to 15 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively, by 2020, if the government’s target is met. The European Union, which wants to be the world’s pace-setter in combating climate change, is aiming for a somewhat more ambitious target of getting 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

China is not alone in the developing world in seeking a more sustainable energy future. As a group, developing countries have more than 40 per cent of the world’s renewable power capacity, over 70 per cent of solar hot-water capacity and 45 per cent of biofuels production.

In China, wind power is the fastest-expanding technology for generating electricity. With many onshore turbines working, the first offshore wind farm started in November.

China is also a manufacturing powerhouse for solar photovoltaic energy, third only to Japan and Germany. It is the world’s largest market for solar hot water, with nearly two-thirds of global capacity. More than 10 per cent of Chinese households rely on the sun to heat their water. When Chinese firms turn to exporting, the lower costs of their units – some seven times less than in Europe – could reshape global supply and demand.

However, Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, says Beijing’s efforts to rein in rash lending and curb inflation are hurting financing for wind power projects in China and may prevent it from emerging as the world’s fastest-growing wind energy market.

A report last year from consultants Frost & Sullivan cautioned that China’s wind and biomass industries were not nearly as developed as their western counterparts. As a result, they had “less experience in installing, maintaining and servicing renewable facilities”, wrote analyst Linda Yan. A key restraint on growth of China’s renewable energy markets was a lack of homegrown technology and dependence on imported equipment, she added.

Even if Beijing meets its renewable energy target for 2020, it will rely heavily on fossil fuels. That is a problem not only for China but also for the world – it is expected to overtake the US soon after 2010 as the world’s top energy-consuming nation.

Michael Richardson is an energy and security analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. mriht@pacific.net.sg

Imports Of Nuclear Power Opposed By Green Groups

Sep 15th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
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Cheung Chi-fai, SCMP – Sep 15, 2008

Environmental activists have opposed further imports of nuclear-generated electricity from across the border under a new energy agreement with the mainland, though a power supplier has hinted it might expand imports.

The activists maintain that nuclear energy is an unsustainable and unsafe option for meeting rising energy demand, though it is increasingly being revisited as an alternative to ease global warming without compromising energy security.

The remarks came after Hong Kong and the central government sealed a deal last month to extend natural gas supplies to the city and ensure a continuous import of nuclear power – at a level no less than the current flow – from the Daya Bay nuclear station.

Hong Kong has been consuming nuclear power since 1994 under a purchase agreement between CLP Power (SEHK: 0002) and Guangdong Nuclear Power Joint Venture Company, in which CLP had a 25 per cent stake through Hong Kong Nuclear Power Investment.

The agreement allows CLP to import up to 70 per cent of Daya Bay’s output.

In each of the past five years, CLP has imported between 4,700 and 5,100 gigawatt-hours at a price of about 50 cents per kilowatt.

Nuclear power and natural gas each account for about 20 per cent of Hong Kong’s total electricity supply, and 60 per cent comes from coal.

While Hong Kong imports nuclear power from Guangdong, CLP exports electricity to the province. In last year’s annual report, CLP said it wanted both to extend and expand the nuclear-import arrangement.

Edward Chan Yue-fai, a Greenpeace campaign manager, said Hong Kong would be taking the wrong approach towards clean energy by importing more nuclear power.

“We have strong reservations about expanding imports, as nuclear energy is neither safe nor sustainable,” Mr Chan said, citing nuclear plant incidents in Japan that jeopardised the safety of plant staff and nearby residents.

“It is too bad that the energy deal with the mainland did not include any renewable energy imports, like wind power. It is renewable energy we should expand, not nuclear.”

Hahn Chu Hon-keung, environmental affairs manager of Friends of the Earth, said the group was inclined not to support further imports, citing concerns about the disposal of nuclear waste and further efforts to conserve energy.

“We can’t just resolve one problem by creating another,” he said. “Instead of expanding our energy supply, we should consider managing our energy demand through conservation and efficiency.”

Besides, Mr Chu said, further imports might also be undesirable since the mainland still had a shortage of power.

A CLP spokeswoman said it was too early to tell if the company was going to increase imports of nuclear power. “We will further discuss arrangements on generation with the government and continue to explore opportunities to participate in nuclear energy in China.”

The company noted that the Daya Bay station operated in line with international safety standards, with no major incidents reported since commercial operations began in 1994.

Use Of Natural Gas Must Balance Reliance On Fossil Fuels

Sep 12th, 2008
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Green group says use of natural gas must balance reliance on fossil fuels

Ng Kang-chung – Updated on Sep 12, 2008

Green groups have urged CLP Power to continue investing in renewable energy in Hong Kong and want rules imposed that would require natural gas to account for at least half of the fuel mix for power generation.

Friends of the Earth environmental affairs officer Angus Wong Chun-yin described CLP Power’s decision to drop its plans for a liquefied natural gas terminal on South Soko Island as “natural and sensible”.

“Now the Chinese government has promised a stable supply of natural gas. There is no need for CLP to continue the Soko Islands project,” said Mr Wong, referring to a power supply deal struck last month between Hong Kong and Beijing.

He added: “Dropping the Soko Islands project should not be the end of the story. The Hong Kong government should press harder to require power companies to use more natural gas to generate power.”

At present, coal accounts for about 60 per cent of CLP Power’s fuel mix, with natural gas and nuclear power at 20 per cent each.

Coal burned by power plants has been blamed as a major source of air pollution in Hong Kong. Carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by half and sulfur dioxide by more than 90 per cent if liquefied natural gas was used to generate power, environmental officials said.

Mr Wong said the fuel mix should be set at 50 per cent natural gas.

Green Sense chairman Roy Tam Hoi-pong offered similar views.

“Dropping the Soko Islands plan means more than reducing the need to raise power fees. The government should look at it from an air quality viewpoint and ask CLP to develop renewable energy, say, wind energy.”

Using more natural gas might still push tariffs up because of higher costs, but Mr Wong and Mr Tam said social benefits could offset the costs.

Hong Kong and Beijing struck an energy agreement last month under which state-owned supplier China National Offshore Oil Corporation will continue to supply Hong Kong with natural gas for another 20 years.

Hong Kong will also receive gas from the country’s second west-east pipeline, which is being built to transport gas from Central Asia to the Pearl and Yangtze River Delta regions.

The pipeline is expected to reach Shenzhen in about five years. Hong Kong officials have estimated the city would receive about 1 billion cubic metres of gas a year from this source.

China Is No Leading Light In Energy Efficiency

Aug 19th, 2008
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JIM LANDERS jlanders@dallasnews.com – Dallasnews | Tuesday, August 19, 2008

BEIJING – China’s ballooning appetite for energy has helped push global prices higher for oil and coal, much of which is wasted.

Energy efficiency in China is just a fifth of U.S. levels. The government has put a priority on improving that by closing hundreds of small, coal-fired power plants and steel mills, raising fuel economy standards and consumption taxes on gas-guzzling cars, and pushing stores and apartment owners to replace incandescent bulbs with green ones.

But energy policy made through government fiat will only take you so far. Even as Beijing issues decrees about reducing the amount of energy used, it still subsidizes gasoline and electricity, and it’s falling short of its conservation targets.

Free-market economists – including some Chinese advisers to the communist government – argue that price is the best way to save energy. High prices have pushed down U.S. oil consumption about 3 percent this year, the biggest drop in a generation.

China’s motorists pay about $3.40 a gallon for gasoline – up 17 percent in the last two months – but that’s less than U.S. prices, and it hasn’t done much to slow oil consumption or car purchases.

(The price is also far less than the $8-a-gallon price in Hong Kong, where the government is trying mightily to discourage people from buying cars.)

China’s government finds it difficult to let go of price controls because some companies say higher energy costs are forcing them to close factories and move to cheaper locations such as Vietnam, eliminating thousands of jobs, said Huang Fanzheng, a senior adviser to the Chinese government and one of China’s most respected economists.

“So we should not only consider the influence of price on consumption, but also consider how much companies can bear, including foreign companies,” he said.

Price controls have other distorting effects. China imports most of its oil. China’s refiners pay world prices for those imports but collect far less from gasoline consumers. The losses are usually covered by government cash, but that’s no sure thing.

One result is an incentive to sell cheap, low-quality gasoline. It also discourages refiners from investing in expensive technology to eliminate pollutants such as sulfur, which automakers say ruins their more advanced emissions controls.

So while Beijing has ordered China’s governors to cut air pollution by 20 percent over the next decade, the oil refiners won’t be much help.

Nor will the power companies. China leads the world in renewable energy used for electricity generation, with 152 gigawatts of power from sources including wind, nuclear and hydro. (One gigawatt is 1,000 megawatts, or roughly the size of a large power plant.)

But China is the world’s biggest consumer of coal. Eighty percent of its electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. Although coal is the country’s most abundant energy resource, China has been a net coal importer since 1992. Smoggy Beijing has giant coal smokestacks peeking out among the city’s skyscrapers. Most of those power plants are shut for the Olympics, but they’ll fire up again once the games are over.

Wang Jiacheng, deputy director of the government’s Academy of Macroeconomic Research, says China’s per-capita electricity use has climbed an average of 10.28 percent a year since 1990.

Coal importers, like oil importers, pay world prices for supplies but get discount payments from customers. So China is going through a coal shortage. That’s pushing companies to curb production or switch to diesel-powered generators, one of the most energy-inefficient ways to produce electricity.

Huadian Plans Wind-Power Venture

Aug 12th, 2008
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Updated on Aug 12, 2008 – SCMP

Huadian plans wind-power venture with sister company

Huadian Power International Corp, a unit of the mainland’s fourth-biggest electricity producer, will form a wind-power joint venture with a unit of its parent China Huadian Corp to tap the nation’s rising demand for clean energy. Huadian Power would have a 75 per cent stake and Huadian Hong Kong 25 per cent in the venture with an investment of 485.6 million yuan (HK$553.8 million), the Beijing- based company said in a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange yesterday. The venture would build and operate the Phase I Inner Mongolia Yihetala Wind Power Project, the statement said. Bloomberg

Khazanah In Mainland Clean Energy Project

Aug 9th, 2008
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Bloomberg – Updated on Aug 09, 2008

Khazanah Nasional, the Malaysian government’s US$25 billion investment fund, will form a venture on the mainland to tap the potential of a country poised to lead the world in the manufacture of renewable-energy products.

Khazanah will invest US$150 million over three years in a venture to develop at least eight municipal waste-to-energy projects on the mainland with Beijing China Sciences General Energy and Environment, the Kuala Lumpur-based company said in a statement yesterday, declining to provide equity details.

The investment is the Malaysian fund’s first in the environment-related industry which is “booming with sector investment growth of about 40 per cent year on year”, said Khazanah managing director Azman Mokhtar.

“For a major developing nation like China, the need to meet its thirst for energy while minimising environment pollution is of paramount importance and a fine balance.”

China, the biggest emitter of climate-altering greenhouse gases, is already the largest global maker of solar cells, wind power turbines, low-carbon energy technology and other renewable-energy products, the Climate Group said in a report.

Premier Wen Jiabao wants the government to invest 2 trillion yuan (HK$2.28 trillion) by 2020 to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the total amount of energy used while developing hydropower, biomass fuel, wind and solar-generated electricity.

The mainland wants renewable energy to cater for 15 per cent of the country’s total primary energy consumption by 2020, from 8 per cent now.

Power generated from municipal waste sources may increase 15 times to 3,000 megawatts from about 200 MW now, according to the country’s target.

Khazanah, the majority partner in its venture with Beijing China Sciences, is in the process of buying a project with 800 tonnes a day of installed capacity, with “three or four more in the pipeline”, Mr Mokhtar said.

Spotlight Dimming On Eco-Power

Aug 6th, 2008
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Installing solar panels to generate electricity is a worthy but costly alternative for Hong Kong homeowners

Elizabeth Horscroft – SCMP – Updated on Aug 06, 2008

When environmentalist John Rempel asked a supplier of photovoltaic (PV) panels to install them at his Discovery Bay home, the reply surprised him. “I was advised by the seller not to install solar panels,” he recalled. The reason given was that they were not cost-effective, with payback taking 20 years or more.

Instead, he was advised to install a solar powered thermal water heater, a system that could pay for itself in less than three years.

Ironically, his supplier Alan Li, director of Red Sun Energy Saving Equipment, continues to give this advice despite being in the business of selling solar panels.

He explained that until the government offered subsidies for installation of small-scale renewable energy systems, as was common in Europe and North America (with up to 30 per cent subsidies in some countries), it just did not make sense. He said no one was pushing the government to do so.

Homeowners in Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Greece can also sell their excess solar generated energy to the power grid to help pay for their systems.

“It won’t happen here because CLP [Power] won’t buy this little power from the homeowner’s power system,” Mr Li said. The capacity of most small renewable energy systems is less than 200kW of electricity, according to CLP.

Although cost is the major stumbling block to increasing PV usage – a clean, quiet, low maintenance and limitless power source – industry experts say lack of knowledge about solar power’s potential is another reason for its lack of popularity in sunny Hong Kong.

One more obvious obstacle is that few people live in houses with ample rooftop space. Phillip Walker, director of ESS, an international distributor of renewable energy systems, said: “Hospitals and schools have more PV potential but I wouldn’t discourage anyone from trying.”

Determined solar panel enthusiasts can still make a go of it. CLP said 22 private households had connected their PV systems to the electricity grid, while Hongkong Electric also had a few. Interestingly, three more have successfully connected wind and biogas powered systems.

Sai Kung resident and lawyer Tim Hallworth is investigating the viability of installing a PV system on the rooftop of a property he is renovating. He estimates that he will need a 3,000W system, the equivalent of a 5-metre by 6-metre panel.

After reductions for shade, not facing south, losses through the wiring, cabling and converter, the efficiency can drop to as low as 1,500W, enough to power a split-level air-conditioner for 1-1/2 hours. That efficiency will diminish over time.

“The technology is just not there yet,” Mr Walker said from his car phone en route to Shenzhen to visit a solar panel factory. “You only do it if you are environmentally conscious and have money.” Or connections.

“I can buy the system direct at a discount,” he said. This would cost him HK$195,000, not including installation and maintenance. The retail price for a 300kW system with 18 panels is about HK$250,000 for a complete package and a version of 400kW with 40 panels is about HK$500,000.

But, in the 20 years it would take for payback, the environmentally unfriendly battery cells will need replacement and the technology will probably be redundant – as newer, more efficient PV systems become available.

Still, eco-warriors press on. And those who do, soon discover that there are even more costs and considerations associated with installation. Homeowners must ensure that the system complies with the technical and safety requirements of the government’s Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. They must also work with various government departments and consultants to legally install a solar panel system.

Tannil Lam, regional manager of RPT, a renewable energy consultancy with design and installation capacity, said: “It is certainly an extra cost which the client must pay for.”

There are also costs associated with the application process to connect the renewable energy system to the electricity grid, something most people will need to do because the PV power will probably fall short of total consumption needs, and will only serve as a backup. CLP and Hongkong Electric have set procedures and fees for gaining approval for the connection.

A CLP spokesman said: “It varies according to the actual hours expended … but it would only contribute to a very small portion of the project cost.”

Mr Rempel takes issue with having to get permission to produce his own renewable energy.

He pointed out that this year the government would review the scheme of control that restricted that right. This is the government’s chance to promote independent grid-connect systems and initiate subsidies. It is about money, but given the pollution levels it does not make sense. A wealthy city, such as Hong Kong, should embrace renewable energy resources.

A solar panel salesman once told Mr Hallworth that buying PV panels was like buying a yacht, “You don’t save anything. Just enjoy it because it has no resale value”.

Perhaps we should invest in them for a better future.

Path to efficiency

Steps to connect your small renewable energy system to the CLP Power grid for backup and additional electricity needs.

  • Initial discussion and application A discussion of a system’s potential commercial, technical and operational impact. Information intended to help select the most suitable technology and system based on your needs.
  • Assessment Technical and commercial assessments by CLP to ensure safety measures are in place.
  • Technical requirements Changes may be proposed to the system based on CLP’s technical specifications. An agreement defining CLP and the homeowner’s responsibilities will be signed.
  • Construction Build and install the system. CLP provides assistance to ensure the technical and safety requirements are met.
  • Testing CLP engineers witness commissioning test on the system.
  • Insurance Homeowners must have a policy to protect them and CLP from potential liability in case the system causes damage or injury to others. While private residents must pay for this themselves, CLP recognises it is a hurdle for schools and non-profit organisations and will arrange public liability coverage for them.
  • Responsibilities Ongoing responsibilities for system connection to grid and safe operation and maintenance of the system will be spelled out in the agreement.

China Set To Lead In Green Energy Technology

Aug 4th, 2008
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Bloomberg in New York – Updated on Aug 04, 2008

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.

The country is already the world’s largest renewable-energy producer as measured by installed generating capacity, according to a report from the Climate Group, a coalition of companies and governments that support solutions to global warming. The country is also the world’s top manufacturer of solar cells and will be the leading exporter of wind turbines by next year.

The nation’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 per cent of mainland electricity came from coal, said Wu Changhua, the China director for the Climate Group.

“They have to do clean energy because they can’t just do more and more dirty energy,” said Michael Liebreich, chief executive of London-based New Energy Finance, 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.”

The mainland was closing older coal-fired power plants and replacing them with more efficient coal generators, Ms Wu said. While the nation would continue to rely on coal to fuel its rapid economic growth, state officials understood the need to move to clean energy, she said.

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

Meanwhile, the government is imposing emergency traffic and industrial production restrictions to reduce pollution during this month’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

About 16 per cent of mainland 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 per cent by 2020.

China invested more than US$12 billion in renewable energy last year, second only to Germany.

The nation needed to invest a further US$398 billion to reach its 2020 renewable energy goals, an average of US$33 billion a year, the report said.

“The system in China compared to many other countries seems to be more effective,” Ms Wu said. “Basically, if the top leadership in Beijing decides to drive this kind of effort, they really get things done.”

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