China keeps promise to curb carbon emission

Although it is not an easy task, China strives to put into practice the promise made last November before the Copenhagen Conference -- to cut its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent by 2020 compared with the level from 2005.

"The old path of economic growth based on environmental pollution implemented in developed countries over the past 300 years is not feasible in China, and China can not afford the losses brought by this development mode," said China's Minister of Environmental Protection, Zhou Shengxian, at an ongoing theme forum of the Shanghai World Expo in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. The two-day forum ended Sunday.

China should base its development on its own situation and explore a new development path that is more efficient and sustainable, costs less, and results in less carbon emissions, Zhou said.

After the outbreak of the international financial crisis in September 2008, the world economy suffered the greatest challenge since the Great Depression as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) advocated the development of a "green economy" worldwide.

In China's 4-trillion-yuan (about US$588.24 billion) economic stimulus plan, funds for energy savings, carbon reductions and ecological construction reached 210 billion yuan. Plus the 370 billion yuan in funds used for innovation, restructuring and coping with climate change, "green investment" accounted for 14.5 percent of the stimulus plan. It indicates the government is shifting its values from traditional "profit maximization" to "welfare maximization."

Zhang Guobao, director of the National Energy Administration, said "the government puts great stock in seeking harmonious development between cities and the environment, and is readjusting the energy structure by giving priority to the development of clean and low-carbon energies, including hydroelectric, nuclear, wind and solar power."

Authorities have closed small, coal-fired plants totaling 60.06 million kilowatts in capacity between 2006 to 2009. This year's target of closing 10 million kilowatts of capacity should be achieved by August, he said.

"We have promised to the international community that 15 percent of our power will be generated from non-fossil sources by 2020," Zhang said. At present, non-fossil energy accounted for around 7.8 percent.

The country's operating hydropower capacity in 2009 reached 197 million kilowatts, the highest in the world. Further, the installed capacity of wind power has been doubling every year for the past four years to more than 22 million kilowatts, the third highest in the world, and the figure is expected to exceed 30 million kilowatts in 2010.

Zhang proposed increasing the proportion of clean energy in the total national energy consumption. Statistics show that China invested US$34.6 billion in clean energy in 2009, exceeding the United States which invested US$18.6 billion, to become the highest in the world. However, China's investment in clean energy was only US$ 2.5 billion five years ago.

China has reduced the traditional high-energy consumption industries while increasing its investment in clean energy. From 2006 to 2009, China shut down 6.06 million kilowatts of small coal fired power units, a figure equivalent to the fully installed capacity of Britain, therefore saving 64 million tonnes of coal and preventing 160 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being introduced into the air every year.

"China took only 30 years to have the environmental problems that had gradually emerged in developed countries over 200 to 300 years. As a big developing country with a population of 1.3 billion people, China is under unprecedented pressure for both economic development and environmental protection," said Minister Zhou Shengxian.

The Shanghai World Expo well illustrates China's effort to save energy and curb carbon dioxide emission. More than 80 percent of the pavilions adopted environmental friendly designs in buildings, while more than half of the pavilions use clean and renewable energy.

However, China's carbon emission reduction target cannot be achieved easily. Wang Ke, a team member of the energy and ecological economy project under the People's University in Beijing, said the shift to a low-carbon economy will only be met at a huge cost to society.

For instance, more than 400,000 people were laid off as a result of the shutdown of small coal-fired power plants from 2006 to 2009. Many studies indicate that curbing greenhouse gas emissions may delay China's development, affect people's income, lead to unemployment and further increase the burden on vulnerable groups in the short term.

Hu Angang, director of the Center for China Studies, a top think tank for policy-making under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Tsinghua University, said China's promise of curbing carbon emissions and saving energy is not only a response to international pressure, but to meet the internal demands of the transformation of the economic development mode.
http://cdm.ccchina.gov.cn/

Huge solar power plant in China - First Solar & Chinese government MOU

First Solar today announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese government to build a 2 gigawatt solar power plant in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia, China.

Pursuant to the MOU, signed in the presence of Chairman Wu Bangguo of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, the solar project in Ordos will be built over a multi-year period. Phase 1 will be a 30 megawatt demonstration project that will begin construction by June 1, 2010 and be completed as soon thereafter as practicable. Phases 2, 3 and 4 will be 100 megawatts, 870 megawatts, and 1,000 megawatts. Phases 2 and 3 will be completed in 2014 and Phase 4 will be completed by 2019.

"This major commitment to solar power is a direct result of the progressive energy policies being adopted in China to create a sustainable, long-term market for solar and a low carbon future for China," First Solar CEO Mike Ahearn said at the signing ceremony. "We're proud to be announcing this precedent-setting project today. It represents an encouraging step forward toward the mass-scale deployment of solar power worldwide to help mitigate climate change concerns."

The project will operate under a feed-in-tariff which will guarantee the pricing of electricity produced by the power plant over a long-term period.

"The Chinese feed-in tariff will be critical to this project," Ahearn said. "This type of forward-looking government policy is necessary to create a strong solar market and facilitate the construction of a project of this size, which in turn continues to drive the cost of solar electricity closer to 'grid parity' – where it is competitive with traditional energy sources."

The MOU contemplates that during the implementation of the initial phases of the project First Solar will actively review the possibility of module and supplier manufacturing sites in Ordos, and other considerations required to support a First Solar investment. First Solar also intends to facilitate expansion of the supply chains in China for thin film photovoltaic module production and for the recycling of photovoltaic modules after use.

"We are very pleased to be partnering with one of the solar industry's global technology leaders in a project of such significance to Ordos's low carbon future," said Cao Zhiche, vice mayor of Ordos Municipal Government. "Discussions with First Solar about building a factory in China demonstrate to investors in China that they can confidently invest in the most advanced technologies available."

The MOU sets forth the agreement in principle of the parties concerning the project and related activities. Final agreement between the parties is subject to the negotiation and execution of definitive agreements among the parties.

Earlier this year, the Chinese Government announced the Golden Sun subsidies, covering up to 50% of large scale solar plants.

LDK Solar Partners with Suqian City for 300 MW of PV Projects

LDK Solar Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers,today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Suqian City of Jiangsu Province for the development of PV power projects. According to the agreement, LDK Solar will develop PV power projects in buildings, plants and integration systems, totaling up to 300 MW by 2015. The terms, including financing, design and specific location of each of the projects, will require a feasibility study as well as final approval from relevant governmental departments prior to initiation.

"Suqian City has unique advantages in developing PV projects, with average annual sunshine of up to 3,000 hours as well as strong support from the government for growing the solar energy industry," stated Xu Huiming, Vice Mayor of Suqian City. "Suqian City has become a leading area for the development of the solar PV industry and we hope that our partnership with LDK Solar will further increase our solar resources and promote the expansion of the local solar industry."

"We are very excited to partner with Suqian City and to support the development of its local economy and Chinese solar industry," stated Xiaofeng Peng, Chairman and CEO of LDK Solar. "We are encouraged by the continued support from our government for PV projects and pleased with the enthusiasm for this partnership demonstrated by Suqian City."

The PV application market has been rapidly developing in China this year and the Chinese government is supporting the establishment of the domestic PV market through the use of governmental financial subsidies.

Suntech and China Huadian Sign Strategic Agreement to Develop 500MW of Solar Projects

Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., the world's largest crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) module manufacturer, announced today that Suntech has recently entered into a strategic agreement with China Huadian New Energy Development Co., Ltd. (HNE) to develop a total of 500MW of utility-scale and commercial roof-top solar projects in China's sun rich western provinces, Jiangsu province and Shanghai over the next three years.

Under the agreement, HNE will be responsible for the project investment and development of solar projects and Suntech will be responsible for supplying crystalline silicon solar modules, system design and technical support. Separate project-specific agreements will be signed prior to the implementation of solar projects related to this agreement.

"We are pleased to build this relationship with Suntech to develop solar energy projects in China," said Mr. Zheng Fang, General Manager of HNE. "These solar systems will provide clean and renewable energy to countless Chinese households and businesses, particularly those in western regions, and facilitate sustainable development. We believe that solar energy will become an increasingly important means of satisfying China's growing demand for electricity."

Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO said, "China Huadian New Energy Development Company already has an impressive portfolio of renewable energy power plants and we are excited to collaborate with them to expand the adoption of solar energy in China. We are confident that solar energy will play a significant role to help China achieve its renewable energy goals and mitigate the effects of climate change."

Projects developed through this collaboration may include solar projects previously announced by Suntech including those in Qinghai province; Shaanxi province; Shizuishan city, Ningxia province; Panzhihua city, Sichuan province; and Jiangsu province. All projects are subject to feasibility studies and government approvals.

China: "Golden Sun" subsidies announced - 50% on large scale solar projects

The Chinese government started a Golden Sun program on Tuesday to provide subsidies to solar-power projects, to boost the solar industry as a new growth point for the country's economy.

The Ministry of Finance said on its Web site that it will offer 50 percent of investments for solar power projects of more than 500 megawatts and the transmission and distribution network over the next two- to- three years.

The solar power projects in the remote regions that are not connected to the grid will receive subsidies of 70 percent of the investment.

The total generating capacity of such pilot projects in each province should not exceed 20 megawatts, the ministry said. In addition, grid operators will also be required to buy excess electricity at prices on a par with power from coal-fired power plants.

Chu Announces Joint U.S.-China Building Efficiency MOU

After touring the "America House," a U.S. designed demonstration of cutting edge "zero energy" building technology, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced a new agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Chinese Ministry of Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) to foster collaboration and partnership in the development of improved, more efficient building designs as well as sustainable communities that rely on greater use of renewable energy.

"Making buildings more efficient represents one of the greatest, and most immediate opportunities we have to create jobs, save money, save energy and reduce carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. "Our goal should be buildings that are 80 percent more efficient. Doing so will save families money and create millions of jobs in both countries."

Under the agreement, the United States and China will exchange experts and technicians to learn from each other's experiences with efficient building technologies, including: high-performance HVAC, insulation, lighting, cold storage, geothermal heat pumps, building-integrated photovoltaics and solar thermal systems.

The United States and China will jointly conduct analyses of lessons learned from international experience with energy-efficient buildings and communities. They will examine options for policy incentives or regulatory reform to encourage energy-efficient development in China.

The two nations will also explore the feasibility of a joint project in China to demonstrate green buildings, building energy savings and renewable energy technologies. The U.S. Government will provide support for MOHURD's ''eco-cities'' initiative, which aims to build integrated green cities that are sustainably designed, use renewable power and have efficient and modern transportation systems. The two nations will collaborate on the development of standards and guidelines for eco-cities.

In the United States, 75 percent of all electricity generated at power plants is used to operate buildings. China is expected to build the equivalent of the entire U.S. building stock in the next 15 years. Nearly half the new floor space built in the world every year is built in China.

Buildings use around 40 percent of energy globally and account for nearly half of greenhouse gas emissions. But at least 30 percent of emissions from the building sector could be eliminated at no net cost by simply upgrading old buildings and using modern equipment in new buildings.

With this announcement, the U.S. and China recognize that improving energy efficiency in buildings will benefit both nations, and that by working together they can accelerate the adoption of new clean energy technologies.

The memorandum of understanding (MOU) on energy-efficient buildings and communities was signed yesterday on behalf of the United States by David B. Sandalow, Assistant Secretary of Policy and International Affairs at the Department of Energy, and on behalf of China by Qiu Baoxing, Vice Minister of MOHURD.

Yingli Green Energy Establishes Regional Headquarters in New York City and San Francisco

Offices in New York City and San Francisco expected to enhance support for Yingli Green Energy's growing North American customer base

Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, one of the world's leading vertically integrated photovoltaic ("PV") product manufacturers, today announced the opening of coastal U.S. headquarters in New York City and San Francisco.

Yingli Green Energy expects that these two regional headquarters in the U.S. will enhance support for the Company's growing North American customer base and facilitate the formation of new partnerships across the solar value chain in North America.

"Given the vast potential and rapid growth of the U.S. solar market, it is imperative for us to have a strong presence on both coasts of the country," commented Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy. "Our top-notch U.S. team has the technical expertise, business experience and proven track record necessary to drive success for our partners and customers. We are confident that our strong on-the-ground capability will play a crucial role in the development of our North American business in the years to come."

In order to strength Yingli Green Energy's business in North America, the Company has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Americas, Inc. ("Yingli Americas"), which is led by Robert Petrina, a solar industry veteran with nearly a decade of international business development experience in the PV industry. Previously with General Electric's solar division, Robert has been with Yingli Green Energy for two years. Yingli Americas' operations and customer support team will be led by Brian Grenko, and Mathew Sachs will lead its business development team.

Yingli Green Energy's East Coast headquarters will be located in mid-town Manhattan. In addition to providing renewed support for the growing solar industry, the New York office will serve as a direct link to the financial community targeting renewable investments.

"Through PlaNYC, our comprehensive sustainability plan, and our Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, New York City is taking major steps to promote green manufacturing and green finance," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "Yingli Green Energy's East Coast Headquarters will create green jobs, make it easier to invest in innovative technology and help our city become more efficient and sustainable."

Yingli Green Energy's West Coast headquarters will be located in San Francisco's financial district and will provide support to customers throughout the procurement, installation and operation stages of solar modules.

"We are proud to welcome Yingli Americas to San Francisco. Their choice to locate in San Francisco is yet another affirmation of our ChinaSF initiative strategy," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "San Francisco offers a leading hub of clean technology firms, top-notch talent, concentrated consumer demand for cleantech, proximity to the Pacific Rim and access to the North American market. Chinese firms, like Yingli Green Energy, bring the rising strength of Chinese entrepreneurship, their rapidly growing industry expertise, and the ability to take these innovations to mass scale."

The opening of the New York and San Francisco offices is Yingli Green Energy's latest step toward expanding its operations in North America and will help support and promote the Company's expanded U.S. product offerings which now include five families of high quality UL certified PV modules ranging in size from 175 watt to 280 watt.

Vestas receives orders for 75 MW for wind energy projects in China

Vestas has received two new orders from a large Chinese Independent Power Producer (IPP), totalling 75 MW. The first order consists of seven units of the V90-1.8 MW wind turbine and six units of the V90-2.0 MW wind turbine for a project in the Shandong province. The second order is for 25 units of the V80-2.0 MW wind turbine for a project in the Guangdong province.

At the customer’s request, details about the projects’ ownership cannot be disclosed.
The contracts include delivery, installation and commissioning of the wind turbines, a VestasOnline® Business SCADA solution and a two-year service and maintenance agreement.

“We are proud to partner with this progressive IPP, and we are eager to build upon and develop this partnership,” said Lars A. Andersen, President of Vestas China. “Vestas will do our utmost to ensure that this relationship is long-lasting and mutually beneficial. We are excited to continue to share our 30 years of industry experience with this large customer and providing them with our knowledge, expertise and support.”

Vestas has a long history with both provinces and will remain committed to their development and growth. In 1986, Vestas installed China’s first wind turbines in the Shandong province.
http://www.vestas.com

LDK Solar Achieves Major Milestone in its 15,000 MT Polysilicon Plant Construction Project

LDK Solar Co., Ltd. ("LDK Solar"; NYSE: LDK), a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline solar wafers, announced today that it has reached mechanical completion of the first 5,000 metric ton (MT) train in its 15,000 MT annualized capacity polysilicon plant in Xinyu, China. Installation has been completed of the Utilities, Infrastructure and Offsite (U&I&O) facilities. Pre-commissioning and commissioning of all the U&I&O systems is nearing completion in preparation for initial production of polysilicon in the first 5,000 MT train.

“We are very excited to reach this major milestone in the construction of our 15,000 MT polysilicon facility,” commented Nick Sarno, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing at LDK Solar. “Commissioning of the first train and startup plans in this facility are underway. We remain on target to ramp to full 5,000 MT capacity over the next two quarters.”

“The excellent cooperation between LDK Solar and the Fluor project teams has been the key driver to achieving this milestone for this world-class, fast-track polysilicon project," said Peter Oosterveer, President of Fluor's Energy & Chemicals Group. "We remain on schedule to meet upcoming major construction goals in order to enable LDK Solar to start polysilicon production as planned.”

Trina Solar's new warehouse to serve growing US market

Trina Solar Limited (CHANGZHOU, China), a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, today announced the planned establishment of a warehouse operation in The Port of Oakland, California.

The warehouse is strategically located in California, which in 2008 had a total of 530MW of the estimated 800MW of grid tied PV capacity(1) in the United States. With planned service to begin in June of 2009, the warehouse is expected to strengthen Trina Solar's distribution network in North America by allowing us to respond more swiftly to customer delivery requests.

"We are pleased to announce the establishment of our first warehouse in North America, which will help to accommodate the growing demand for our products, pursue new relationships and better serve our customers," said Arturo Herrero, Trina Solar's Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "In addition, we view the outlook for PV installations in the United States as positive given the national promotion of a green economy to secure energy independence and create green jobs."

Navajo Wind Energy Secures Additional 200 MW Project Site in China

Navajo Wind Energy Corp. (formerly Caliber Energy Inc.) announced that it has secured a new 200 MW wind site located in Xinjiang, China. This site is situated on 6,200 acres and is in an area with proven, high-energy wind speeds. Previous testing indicates a mean average annual wind speed in excess of 11 meters per second or over 25 miles per hour, capable of generating net operating capacity factors in excess of 50 percent.

The Xinjiang Project is the second announcement of many new acquisitions that Navajo Wind Energy is currently developing as part of the previously announced "China Initiative."

China's rapidly growing demand for renewable energy and the scarcity of viable wind farm sites to create the available supply, positions Navajo Wind Energy uniquely in this competitive market place through the utilization of the Company’s expertise and industry contacts.

Barry Doyle, CEO states, "There was tremendous competition from the largest players in the investment banking and energy industries to acquire this exact piece of property. Navajo Wind's access to proprietary information dating back to the 1990s allowed the Company to seize this opportunity several weeks before our competition. We are extremely proud of this accomplishment."

Navajo Wind Energy is currently conducting environmental studies to complete the permitting process.

20% of power supply for Beijing's Olympic venues to be wind-generated

A wind power plant has become operational in suburban Beijing, considered a major step towards making 20 percent of the power supply to the city's Olympic venues during the games wind-generated.

The Guanting Wind Power Plant, beginning operation on Saturday, would not only help fulfil Beijing's promise of a "green Olympics", but symbolize the first-ever large-scale employment of wind power generation project in the Chinese capital, said a spokesman for the project.

With an installed capacity of 64,500 kilowatts, the plant has 43 domestically developed wind power units at work.

Since its first unit went into operation on Jan. 20, the plant has supplied 35 million kWh of "green power" to Beijing. It is expected to supply 100 million-kWh electricity per year, enough to meet the daily demand of 100,000 households.

The power plant could help cut yearly emission of carbon dioxide by 100,000 tonnes and save 50,000 tonnes of coal each year. The Beijing Olympics opens on Aug. 8.

Source: www.chinaview.cn

China: $3.2b to raise energy efficiency

The government plans to spend 23.5 billion yuan ($3.2 billion) this year to raise energy efficiency and cut pollutant emissions, a senior finance official said Monday.
The pricing regimes for energy and resources will also be reformed, and charges raised for wastewater treatment, said Zhang Shaochun, vice-minister of finance, at a national conference on energy efficiency.
Of the fund, 7 billion yuan ($947.2 million) will be earmarked as grants to encourage major energy-efficient projects, Zhang said.
Grants used to be disbursed based on the value of projects but Zhang said the amount now will depend on how much energy the projects can save.
During the 2006-10 period, energy-efficient technological upgrading is expected to save 130 million tons of coal equivalent, Zhang said.
"The more they save, the more grants they will get," he told finance officials.
The energy efficiency of the projects will be appraised by independent third-party institutions, he added.
Another 6.5 billion yuan ($879.6 million) will be channeled to build or upgrade pipeline networks for waste water treatment in the central and western regions, he said.
The funds will be provided to provinces based on the total length of the networks and emission cuts in chemical oxygen demand (COD) - a key water pollution index - Zhang said.
The remainder of the fund will be used for elimination of out-dated production capacities, monitoring pollution and control of river and lake pollution.
The government has set a goal of reducing energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 20 percent during the 2006-10 period, or 4 percent each year, and cutting major pollutants by 10 percent by 2010.

Renewable Energy Investors Looking to the Skies

New investment in renewable energy companies continues to grow solidly, but with a new direction. While ethanol markets seem to be cooling, solar cell markets – particularly those in China – are picking up steam.

A sharp increase in the price of corn and concerns about market saturation have threatened ethanol producers’ profits. The market has seen fewer ethanol companies go public this year and more investors shying away from the volatility. Instead, capitalists have turned an eye towards solar power, promising perhaps a brighter, more stable future.

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the solar sector have been dominated by China. Four Chinese solar power companies have debuted in 2007, garnering $1.11 billion, and three solar companies went public in the last two months of 2006, raising $508.8 million. JA Solar went public this year and was one of the biggest winners with a return on the IPO price of more than 100 percent. Investors are attracted to the low manufacturing costs, compared to U.S. and European solar-sell producers. But unlike ethanol, Jefferies & Co. analyst Jeffrey Bencik told the Associated Press that this solar investment boom isn’t likely to bust anytime soon:

"Solar companies, once they're ramped up, they're solidly profitable. This is not the Internet bubble. These companies have real products and real profits."

In the U.S., there continues to be a strong, steady stream of renewable energy IPOs. Of the 115 companies that went public during the first half of 2007, eight of them were in the renewable energy sector. That’s compared to just nine offerings in all of 2006.