Back in ’06 this blog noted that if wind energy development proves sufficiently beneficial to the Hong Kong grid, then we soon could see mega projects in China that dwarf those in Europe and those being initiated in North America. We now see the pronouncement that China is the world’s fastest growing market for wind energy technology. “China has more than tripled its target for wind power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2020,” and “is aiming for an annual wind power growth rate of 20 percent for the foreseeable future.”
“In China, the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) — which allows industrialized countries to offset their carbon emissions by investing in projects that cut emissions in developing countries — is a boon for green companies, both domestic ones and the foreign firms that provide technology and services. Though China only has some 40 clean [i.e., those with CERs (Certified Emission Reductions)] projects through the CDM, it controls the lion’s share of the developing world’s CDM’s funds.”
In relaying the announcement in Beijing by Feng Junshi, an official with the National Energy Administration, Climate Progress reminds us of words spoken by President Obama, “The nation that leads the world in creating new energy sources will be the nation that leads the 21st-century global economy,” and warns, “We have some serious catching up to do.”
As China’s rapid expansion of its solar and wind industries shows, the competition is fierce and we’re already behind the curve. Chinese officials said yesterday that the giant nation will far exceed its 2020 wind and solar targets. They expect to more than triple their wind capacity goal, resulting in 100 gigawatts of wind power by 2020, and surpass by five to tenfold the target set for solar. These are sobering numbers.
It should be noted that China is not yet the leader in the manufacture of renewable energy. Between 2000 and 2003, Germany quadrupled its installed PV capacity and became the world leader in wind development. Industry observers credit a feed-in tariff as a game changing strategy, the same sort of strategy vigorously opposed by utility companies and other special interests in the United States. Such is the influence of fossil fuel industries, for example, that Congress accepts the questionable assurance of carbon capture and storage while paying little heed to the call to develop more above ground energy.
