CHINA UPS NEW ENERGY AIMS

China aims for greener economy over next 5 yrs: former energy head
Zhang Xiang, March 4, 2011 (Xinhua News)

"China will set directives for greater use of clean energy and lower carbon emissions to put its economy on the track of sustainable development, Zhang Guobao, former head of the National Energy Administration, said…China aims to increase the proportion of non-fossil fuels in overall primary energy use to 11.4 percent by 2015 from the current 8 percent…

"The target has been included in the draft of the 12th Five-Year Program (2011-2015) and will be mandatory, said Zhang, a member of the Standing Committee of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference [and thought to be a leading candidate to succeed President Hu or Premier Wen]. It will keep China on course to achieve its pledge to up its use of non-fossil fuels to 15 percent by 2020…The draft will be reviewed and is expected to be approved by the country's lawmakers attending the annual session of the National People's Congress…"

China has 2 of the top 5 turbine makers in the world...(click to enlarge)

"As China's economy has greatly expanded over the past three decades, so too has its consumption of energy which mainly comes from coal. Zhang said coal accounts for around 70 percent of China's energy mix, 30 percentage points higher than the world's average…To have a greener economy, China should trim its dependency on coal and promote greater use of cleaner fuels, he said, referring to nuclear power and wind, solar and biomass energy.

"By the end of 2010, China's installed wind power capacity exceeded 41 million kilowatts to be the world's largest. China also is presently constructing 28.71 million kilowatts of nuclear power capacity, also the most in the world…Zhang said the five-year plan will aim to boost the development of nuclear power while ensuring the safety. China will start construction of its first inland nuclear power plant this year…By 2020, more than half of the 15 percent non-fossil share will come from hydropower…"

...and 5 of the top 15 solar makers. (click to enlarge)

"Greater use of clean and renewable fuels is part of the government's efforts to promote [energy security,] energy saving and environmental protection as the country's economic success has come with steep costs: unsustainable growth and pollution…Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said on Feb. 27 that the government must not sacrifice the environment for the sake of rapid growth any longer.

"…[Wen set China’s] annual economic growth target at 7 percent…to 2015, lower than the 7.5 percent goal…[for] 2006-2010…Wen also…wants to] cut the amount of energy and carbon dioxide emissions needed for every unit of gross domestic product by 16 to 17 percent from this year to…2015…[toward] the government's goal of 40 to 45 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2020…Zhang said the two goals will be included as mandatory in the new five-year plan, which will also demand higher energy efficiency…[and] impose a cap on its total energy consumption at 4 billion tonnes of coal equivalent by 2015, compared with 3.2 billion tonnes consumed last year…an average annual increase of 4.24 percent in energy use…"