Sino-German collaboration on renewable energy can set a good
example for other countries, a senior official with the National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said yesterday.
China and Germany should expand cooperation to promote the use
of renewable energy and achieve more sustainable development, Wu
Guihui, deputy director of the energy bureau of the NDRC, told an
energy forum.
A visitor seems fascinated
by the model of a house at a German exhibition in Nanjing, capital
of Jiangsu Province. The building has all the features of a
traditional Yangzhou house, plus the added advantage of being
equipped with energy saving technology.
"It (use of renewable energy) is really important now as China
is making great efforts in energy saving and environmental
protection," he said.
China is improving energy efficiency and using more renewable
energy sources, and thus playing an important role in combating
global warming, said German Environment Minister Sigmar
Gabriel.
As big energy consumers the two nations can expand cooperation
in environmental technology, he said.
As the world's fastest growing major economy, China has set a
target of cutting energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20 percent
and pollutant discharges by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010.
The world's second-largest energy consumer is also making
increased use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power. The
government has set a target of raising the ratio of renewable
energy in its total energy mix to 10 percent by 2010 and 15 percent
by 2020. Renewable energy currently accounts for 8 percent of the
total energy consumption.
In some sectors such as wind power, China has seen over 100
percent annual growth in the past three years.
A total investment of 2 trillion yuan is needed to meet the
renewable energy target by 2020, according to the NDRC, the
nation's top economic planning body.
The Chinese market provides major opportunities for German
companies, said Jurgen Heraeus, a representative of the Federal
Association of German Industry. Leading wind power company Nordex,
for example, has seen over 50 percent annual growth of its business
in China.
Several German energy majors said they are keen on China's
energy sector. Siemens earlier said it plans to inject half of its
10 billion yuan mid-term investment in China into energy-saving and
environmentally friendly technologies
(China Daily February 1, 2008)
