Sun Shines in China, too
With over a billion inhabitants, China is the most populous country in the world, and as it’s industrial revolution is underway, it increasingly contributes to global climate change, exploitation of limited resources, and atmospheric pollution. It is for these reasons that it’s so important for China to implement the use of solar energy, which is a much cleaner alternative to energy production than coal. Coal is a poor energy resource because it burns into smog and emits carbon into our atmosphere, calls for dangerous mining practices that threaten the safety of workers and deface the Earth, and is a non-renewable resource. However, coal currently accounts for over 75% of China’s commercial energy consumption.
On Monday, October 13, China’s National Energy Administration published a notice targeting the need to bolster electric power production with PV power station construction and facilitation for wind and hydropower. Their notice points to tedious approval processes, augmented costs of projects, and speculators’ hands in the market as the blame for prolonged delay in the utilization of renewable energy resources in China. In order for China’s National Energy Administration to deploy the ambitions published in their notice, gatekeepers need to open up the market to make switching to renewable resource fueled power financially feasible. Their plans include innovative ways of raising finances for such endeavors. Liu Chang, founder of Chinese solar industry Solarzoom, sees the NEA publication as a significant step in solving major problems associated with the implementation of solar energy in China.
The National Energy Administration will lay out the plans for PV power station construction later this year, to which all the main provincial power stations must respond with plans for installation and investment details within a month. The NEA also plans to construct large PV power stations on underutilized land with prime conditions for generating mass amounts of energy. The NEA also plans to use hydroelectric power in conjunction with solar to optimize the use of renewable power resources in China. China’s never had a good reputation in eco friendly technology or business practices, but hopefully all of that will change in the near future. With solar technology always becoming more accessible, it seems like a more feasible option all the time.
