 "China is doing very well when it comes to renewable energy, and they are looking at this is the major source of energy in the future."
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Workers inspect Huaneng's wind farm in Hami, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on June 21, 2010. [File photo: Asianewsphoto]
The rapid rise in construction, production capacity and wealth in China has resulted in a need for more access to energy.
The clean energy plan has been included into China's 12th Five-Year Plan, which aims to build 235 million kilowatts of power generation capacity in the next five years.
From 2011 to 2015, China plans to launch nuclear energy projects with a combined generating capacity of 40 million kilowatts.
But on top of nuclear power generated electricity, central authorities are looking to expand heavily into other renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric and biomass.
According to Tim O'Mahony, a science communicator with the Kexue Communications, China invested many times more than the United States did in clean infrastructure.
O'Mahony said China is expected to benefit from its large investment in clean energy in a decade, and gradually turns into energy self supply.
"China is being able to invest tens of billions of dollars in the clean energy. China has wind, solar and biomass. There would be like 8 percent electricity capacity to come from the renewable sources by 2020, which compared to less then 4 percent now in China and the U.S.A. And China is really looking to reduce its reliance on some coal and oil from other countries."
Compared with traditional fossil fuels like coal and oil, the price of clean energy seems much higher, which aroused complaints that clean-energy development was not over cost-effectiveness.
O'Manny said with the popularization of non-fossil fuels, there will be an equilibrium price when supply and demand in the market are in balance.
"It's the same as computers, you have mass production, which will lead to lower prices, out of the development cost is paid off, and also supply and demand issue. As fossil fuel prices go up, there will be a demand for more renewables as well."
China is producing a huge amount of wind and solar energy. At the moment, the country produces the highest number of wind turbine, which have been used both in China and exported around the world.
O'Manny, citing the results of research by two of the world's top universities, said the future of China's renewable energy is promising.
"Researchers from Harvard University and Tsinghua University have found that China could make all electricity capacity from wind power by 2030. So, China is doing very well when it comes to renewable energy, and they are looking at this as the major source of energy in the future." |
