An overarching government agency has been set up to take charge of the country's energy policy for better coordination in formulating strategy and planning development.
Premier Wen Jiabao will head the agency, called the National Energy Commission (NEC), and Vice-Premier Li Keqiang will be the deputy, the State Council, or the Cabinet, announced yesterday.
The NEC has 21 members, including ministers from various organizations such as the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Ministry of Finance, as well as a representative from the central bank.
Industry insiders said the move means energy has been identified as key to the future development of the country, which is now the world's second-largest energy consumer.
"The establishment of the NEC shows the government has raised energy issues to an unprecedented level," said Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University. "Such a super ministry, which centralizes the powers of different ministries, can help China make better use of its energy resources."
Energy has become a complex issue and cannot be managed by one single ministry, said Lin, citing domestic energy companies' overseas development as an example.
Chinese oil companies have stepped up their overseas profile in recent years but the issue has to be dealt with by different ministries such as the NDRC and foreign affairs.
"We need to pool all our efforts to achieve sustainable development in the energy sector," he said.
Lin' views were echoed by Zhang Jianyu, China program manager of the US Environmental Defense Fund, who said energy will be the top priority in China's future strategies.
"The establishment of the NEC will provide a better mechanism for China's energy sector, optimizing the country's energy portfolio as well as coordinating supply and demand," said Zhang.
The government last year set a hefty target of reducing the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 2020 by 40 to 45 percent from the 2005 levels; and Zhang said the NEC could coordinate with different ministries to exchange ideas and expertise to achieve the target.
"Some analysts say the 45 percent plan is ambitious, and some even think it could be a constraint on economic development. But I believe with the NEC, we can turn the target into a new opportunity for the economy," he said.
Wen heads 'super ministry' for energy
The setting up of the NEC is part of continuous efforts in administrative reform, which are aimed at orienting various functions of different departments toward higher efficiency, said analysts.
A Ministry of Energy was established in 1988 but it was disbanded five years later because its administrative functions overlapped with other departments.
Facing increasing energy shortages, the government set up an Energy Bureau under the NDRC during administrative reforms in 2003.
The National Energy Administration (NEA) was set up in 2008 but it lacks the power to carry out many of its assigned tasks as responsibility for the energy sector is currently spread among a number of departments.
For instance, prices of petroleum products and electricity are still decided by the NDRC.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
LDK to deliver 30MW of solar modules to COU Solar
LDK Solar has signed a contract to supply solar modules to Canada-based COU Solar, subsidiary of Oneworld Energy. Under the terms of the agreement, LDK Solar will deliver approximately 30MW of solar modules to COU throughout 2010.
"We are very excited to expand our relationship with COU/Oneworld. This relationship will allow LDK Solar to take advantage of the wealth of solar opportunities that COU/Oneworld has developed in Europe," stated Xiaofeng Peng, chairman and CEO of LDK Solar. "This sales contract with COU/Oneworld demonstrates our continued momentum in growing our module business, specifically with European customers."
"We are extremely pleased to procure LDK Solar's quality modules for our solar projects in Europe," stated Chuck Allen, president and CEO of Oneworld. "We hope to continue partnering with LDK Solar in expanding alternative energy resources."
"We are very excited to expand our relationship with COU/Oneworld. This relationship will allow LDK Solar to take advantage of the wealth of solar opportunities that COU/Oneworld has developed in Europe," stated Xiaofeng Peng, chairman and CEO of LDK Solar. "This sales contract with COU/Oneworld demonstrates our continued momentum in growing our module business, specifically with European customers."
"We are extremely pleased to procure LDK Solar's quality modules for our solar projects in Europe," stated Chuck Allen, president and CEO of Oneworld. "We hope to continue partnering with LDK Solar in expanding alternative energy resources."
Suntech supplies 93,000 modules to 24.5MW solar plant in Germany
A 24.5MW solar plant has started construction at a former military airport in the village of Schorfheide near Eberswalde, Germany using 93,000 Suntech multicrystalline modules and inverters from SMA. General contractor for the €58 million project is solarhybrid AG and partner Enerparc AG. The project is expected to be completed by the end of April, 2010.
Solarhybrid said that the installation of solar panels, rack equipment, inverters, including the connection to the substation, would be handled by by Conecon GmbH, the connection to the substation by WT energy systems GmbH. The double module frame system is being supplied by Technology Mounting Systems GmbH.
“The sizing on 77 acres allows for efficient planning and assembly, and thus a rapid construction progress,” noted Tom Schröder, President and CEO, solarhybrid AG.
WVZ Finow GmbH & Co.KG owns and operates the airport. Funding for the project was from solarinvestra FinowTower GmbH & Co. KG and Commerzbank AG.
Solarhybrid said that the installation of solar panels, rack equipment, inverters, including the connection to the substation, would be handled by by Conecon GmbH, the connection to the substation by WT energy systems GmbH. The double module frame system is being supplied by Technology Mounting Systems GmbH.
“The sizing on 77 acres allows for efficient planning and assembly, and thus a rapid construction progress,” noted Tom Schröder, President and CEO, solarhybrid AG.
WVZ Finow GmbH & Co.KG owns and operates the airport. Funding for the project was from solarinvestra FinowTower GmbH & Co. KG and Commerzbank AG.
GCL-Poly Energy Capacity Expansion
GCL-Poly Energy has been a very prominent current in the newsflow this month. The company’s project development unit celebrated the activation of a 20MW PV power system in Xuzhou (one of the largest in China), its M&A arm augmented the firm’s portfolio with the acquisition of a controlling interest in wafer-maker Konka Solar, and the equipment purchasing folks announced they had spent more than $40 million on tools and services from GT Solar and another nearly $34 million on wire saws from Meyer Berger.
GCL’s aggressive capacity expansion plans for 2010—bringing another 21,000MT of poly online and reaching 2GW of wafer capability—combined with its move downstream into PV power generation (a sector it has a presence in with conventional and wind energy assets on the mainland) make the Hong Kong-based company one to watch in the coming year.
GCL’s aggressive capacity expansion plans for 2010—bringing another 21,000MT of poly online and reaching 2GW of wafer capability—combined with its move downstream into PV power generation (a sector it has a presence in with conventional and wind energy assets on the mainland) make the Hong Kong-based company one to watch in the coming year.
Yulin, Shaanxi and Ordos, Inner Mongolia
The latest eSolar deal is very interesting on several levels. The Google-backed, three-year-old Pasadena company has signed an agreement to provide technology and assistance to Penglai Electric, a privately-owned Chinese electrical power equipment manufacturer, to build a series of solar thermal power plants totaling at least 2 gigawatts over the next 10 years. The first project, a 92-megawatt solar power plant, will be built this year and located in the 66-square-mile Shaanxi New Energy and Industrial Park in Yulin, Shaanxi. China Huadian Engineering Co. will lead the construction process. At completion, China Shaanxi Yulin Huayang New Energy Co. will own and operate the first 92 MW plant.
The region has become a hot spot for renewable energy, with the 2,000-megawatt First Solar project planned 60 miles to the north in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Arizona-based First Solar, the world’s leading manufacturer of thin-film PV modules, signed an MOU with the Chinese government to build a 2 GW solar PV plant. The solar project in Ordos will be built over a multi-year period. Phase 1 would be a 30 MW demonstration project that would begin construction by June 1, 2010. Phases 2 and 3 would be 100and 870 MW, respectively, completed in 2014, while Phase 4 would be 1,000 MW completed by 2019.
Julian Wong in his excellent blog, Green Leap Forward http://greenleapforward.com/, points out, "This (First Solar) announcement was significant because it marked the first time a foreign company was invited to participate in such a high profile solar project, and came at a time when the China was coming under fire for being overly protective of its renewable energy (particularly wind) industry."
I am particularly interested in how Yulin and Ordos were chosen for these projects. Was it the aggressiveness of the provincial governments or was location only chosen at the Beijing level. With Jiangsu being so pro-active in attracting solar deals, I'm surprised they didn't attempt to get at least one of these solar plants.
The region has become a hot spot for renewable energy, with the 2,000-megawatt First Solar project planned 60 miles to the north in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. Arizona-based First Solar, the world’s leading manufacturer of thin-film PV modules, signed an MOU with the Chinese government to build a 2 GW solar PV plant. The solar project in Ordos will be built over a multi-year period. Phase 1 would be a 30 MW demonstration project that would begin construction by June 1, 2010. Phases 2 and 3 would be 100and 870 MW, respectively, completed in 2014, while Phase 4 would be 1,000 MW completed by 2019.
Julian Wong in his excellent blog, Green Leap Forward http://greenleapforward.com/, points out, "This (First Solar) announcement was significant because it marked the first time a foreign company was invited to participate in such a high profile solar project, and came at a time when the China was coming under fire for being overly protective of its renewable energy (particularly wind) industry."
I am particularly interested in how Yulin and Ordos were chosen for these projects. Was it the aggressiveness of the provincial governments or was location only chosen at the Beijing level. With Jiangsu being so pro-active in attracting solar deals, I'm surprised they didn't attempt to get at least one of these solar plants.
More Details on Trina's Solar Lab
In yesterday's announcement, Trina said they first received official documents from China's Ministry of Science and Technology in January 2010 to establish a State Key Laboratory to develop PV technologies within the Changzhou Trina PV Industrial Park. Commercial terms related to the establishment have yet to be finalized.
The laboratory will be established as a national platform for driving PV technologies in China. Its mandate includes research into PV related materials, cell and module technologies and system level performance. It will also serve as a platform to bring together technical capabilities from the Company's strategic partners including customers and key PV component suppliers as well as universities and research institutions.
Jifan Gao, Trina Solar's Chairman and CEO, gave a couple of general statements about the facility. Besides mentioning what a great thing this is for China and Trina, he said, "The laboratory will advance technological innovations to support the burgeoning industry as well as accelerate Trina Solar's R&D, technology transfer and new product development goals to enhance the Company's high quality product offerings."
The laboratory will be established as a national platform for driving PV technologies in China. Its mandate includes research into PV related materials, cell and module technologies and system level performance. It will also serve as a platform to bring together technical capabilities from the Company's strategic partners including customers and key PV component suppliers as well as universities and research institutions.
Jifan Gao, Trina Solar's Chairman and CEO, gave a couple of general statements about the facility. Besides mentioning what a great thing this is for China and Trina, he said, "The laboratory will advance technological innovations to support the burgeoning industry as well as accelerate Trina Solar's R&D, technology transfer and new product development goals to enhance the Company's high quality product offerings."
Trina Chosen for State Laboratory
On Tuesday 26 Jan 2010, Trina Solar announced that the government has picked the company to establish a key state solar laboratory. Suntech, JA Solar, Yingli, Solarfun and LDK Solar had also applied. The obvious reason the Chinese government picked Trina was it believed they are best equipped to set up a solar laboratory that conforms to Beijing's plans. I will be asking around today to see if I can find out more about the government's decision making process.
Friday, January 15, 2010
China likely to come first ahead of the US in creating a green economy
The next ten years will be characterised by a race by individual countries to drive greater industrial efficiency and diversify energy sources, as economies move away from a dependence on fossil fuels, according to natural capital asset manager Beetle Capital Partners.
It also states that China is likely to come first in the race against the US to create a green economy and champion national leaders in new industries.
In an inaugural investment strategy document entitled The 2020 Race to Post Oil, Beetle Capital sees a move towards economic conditions which will entail not only cyclical but structural change driven by a damaged financial sector, an overstretched consumer base, rising energy prices, and shortages of water, food and other natural resources so severe that they could heighten global and regional tensions.
The report predicts that the world economies are on the brink of a 21st century version of an arms race for energy, commodities, food, and water.
Gareth Hughes, a managing partner at Beetle Capital said, ‘Despite U.S. strengths in research and development in energy efficient technologies, we believe that China’s ability to impose central planning on energy production and related industries combined with pragmatic market-based mechanisms puts it ahead of both the U.S. and other countries. Its ability to co-ordinate energy policy with climate change policy will trump other nations.’
The report also predicts that China has stockpiled its own natural resources for long-term gain, having cut back on exports of so-called rare earths, elements used in the manufacture of high-tech devices from superconductors to hybrid-car batteries. It expects that its aim is to secure its place as a top manufacturer of components critical to new technologies.
According to the firm, it is clear that the correlation between growth and energy, which has been the case for decades, is coming to an end and is being recast as a relationship between economic expansion and broader natural capital, the combination of the world’s renewable and non-renewable resources.
It sees that the emerging natural capital market will feature a number of investment themes including declining energy prices post 2020 as a result of energy efficiency, the electrification of transport and the scaling of renewable sources of power generation. The report also predicts disruptive (and largely positive) changes to mature industries such as utilities and autos, including the creation of new industrial national champions and the opening up of oligopoly markets to new competition.
The report also expects a persistent lack of clarity on global carbon policy and the future of carbon emissions because of the failure to marry global carbon policy with national energy plans and the near impossibility of reversing trends in population growth and industrialisation without transformational changes to established business models.
Beetle Capital believes that that this new race will throw up technological advances, such as the electrification of transportation, which have a positive impact in driving economic growth.
The firm also announced today the appointment of Alex Veys, a former senior fixed income manager at Fidelity International, to run its first fund focusing on natural capital.
It also states that China is likely to come first in the race against the US to create a green economy and champion national leaders in new industries.
In an inaugural investment strategy document entitled The 2020 Race to Post Oil, Beetle Capital sees a move towards economic conditions which will entail not only cyclical but structural change driven by a damaged financial sector, an overstretched consumer base, rising energy prices, and shortages of water, food and other natural resources so severe that they could heighten global and regional tensions.
The report predicts that the world economies are on the brink of a 21st century version of an arms race for energy, commodities, food, and water.
Gareth Hughes, a managing partner at Beetle Capital said, ‘Despite U.S. strengths in research and development in energy efficient technologies, we believe that China’s ability to impose central planning on energy production and related industries combined with pragmatic market-based mechanisms puts it ahead of both the U.S. and other countries. Its ability to co-ordinate energy policy with climate change policy will trump other nations.’
The report also predicts that China has stockpiled its own natural resources for long-term gain, having cut back on exports of so-called rare earths, elements used in the manufacture of high-tech devices from superconductors to hybrid-car batteries. It expects that its aim is to secure its place as a top manufacturer of components critical to new technologies.
According to the firm, it is clear that the correlation between growth and energy, which has been the case for decades, is coming to an end and is being recast as a relationship between economic expansion and broader natural capital, the combination of the world’s renewable and non-renewable resources.
It sees that the emerging natural capital market will feature a number of investment themes including declining energy prices post 2020 as a result of energy efficiency, the electrification of transport and the scaling of renewable sources of power generation. The report also predicts disruptive (and largely positive) changes to mature industries such as utilities and autos, including the creation of new industrial national champions and the opening up of oligopoly markets to new competition.
The report also expects a persistent lack of clarity on global carbon policy and the future of carbon emissions because of the failure to marry global carbon policy with national energy plans and the near impossibility of reversing trends in population growth and industrialisation without transformational changes to established business models.
Beetle Capital believes that that this new race will throw up technological advances, such as the electrification of transportation, which have a positive impact in driving economic growth.
The firm also announced today the appointment of Alex Veys, a former senior fixed income manager at Fidelity International, to run its first fund focusing on natural capital.
Satcon supplies inverters for China’s largest solar plant and rooftop project
NASDAQ-listed renewable energy company Satcon Technology has delivered 23MW of its PowerGatePlus 500KW solar photovoltaic inverters to GCL Solar, to be used for its 20MW Jiming Hill Xunzhou solar plant and 3MW Yancheng Guoneng rooftop installation.
Both solar projects became operational in December 2009. Completed in less than four months on the hillside in the Xuzhou City Jiangsu Province, the 20MW Xunzhou solar plant is expected to have an annual power generation of approximately 26million KWh, making it the largest installed solar power plant in China. Residingon 46 million square meters of factory rooftop, the 3MW Yancheng Guoneng rooftop installation will produce 3.37 million kilowatt hours of grid connected solar power annually, making it the largest rooftop project in China.
‘Both the Xunzhou photovoltaic power station and the Yangcheng City rooftop installation are technological breakthroughs in project construction and technology innovation,’ said Dr Gu Huamin, general manager of GCL Solar. ‘The two installations clearly demonstrate
China’s increasing demand for utility scale renewable power production and its commitment to large scale solar innovation.’
‘China is quickly becoming the world’s leading adopter of utility scale solar power production,’ said Steve Rhoades, Satcon’s president and CEO.
Satcon’s first PowerGate product was first installed at Beijing’s National City Museum in 2003. Satcon Technology Corporation has designed energy systems for solar and stationary fuel cells and energy storage systems for over 24 years.
GCL Solar, located in Nanjing China, specialises in consulting, design, system integration and total project contracting services of all kinds of solar system, such as medium and large sized of on-grid solar power plants, small-scale off-grid power PV systems, photovoltaic and wind power hybrid generating system, and rooftop systems.
Copyright © 2010 NewNet
Both solar projects became operational in December 2009. Completed in less than four months on the hillside in the Xuzhou City Jiangsu Province, the 20MW Xunzhou solar plant is expected to have an annual power generation of approximately 26million KWh, making it the largest installed solar power plant in China. Residingon 46 million square meters of factory rooftop, the 3MW Yancheng Guoneng rooftop installation will produce 3.37 million kilowatt hours of grid connected solar power annually, making it the largest rooftop project in China.
‘Both the Xunzhou photovoltaic power station and the Yangcheng City rooftop installation are technological breakthroughs in project construction and technology innovation,’ said Dr Gu Huamin, general manager of GCL Solar. ‘The two installations clearly demonstrate
China’s increasing demand for utility scale renewable power production and its commitment to large scale solar innovation.’
‘China is quickly becoming the world’s leading adopter of utility scale solar power production,’ said Steve Rhoades, Satcon’s president and CEO.
Satcon’s first PowerGate product was first installed at Beijing’s National City Museum in 2003. Satcon Technology Corporation has designed energy systems for solar and stationary fuel cells and energy storage systems for over 24 years.
GCL Solar, located in Nanjing China, specialises in consulting, design, system integration and total project contracting services of all kinds of solar system, such as medium and large sized of on-grid solar power plants, small-scale off-grid power PV systems, photovoltaic and wind power hybrid generating system, and rooftop systems.
Copyright © 2010 NewNet
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