Coal-shunning China explores solar power, alternative energy solutions to beat pollution
Clean-energy alternative comes into play as the central government begins phasing out coal-burning plants to meet emissions targets
With solar energy production costs continuing to fall, the market is experiencing what many analysts are calling a boom. In many parts of the world, solar power is now cheaper than diesel oil, gas, coal or nuclear energy.
China, as it rallies to clean up its increasingly polluted air, has raised its solar energy target for this year, declaring it will add almost 2.5 times the capacity that the United States added last year.
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) recently said more than 5GW of solar capacity was added in the first quarter of 2015, more than in the first two quarters of 2014 combined.
Newly released NEA data provide signs of how China plans to follow the ambitious climate-change targets that it agreed on with the US last year. In line with the terms of the deal, China’s carbon emissions will peak no later than 2030 and the non-fossil fuel share of its energy consumption will increase to 20 per cent, up from around 10 per cent in recent years.
Hanergy Holding Group - a multinational clean-energy power generation company and the world's largest thin-film solar power company that is the biggest producer of solar energy in China - plans to increase the number of user experience centres to 300 on the mainland this year and to 1,500 worldwide by 2017.
“Hanergy’s stores and experience centres are intended to introduce the Chinese masses to the concept of solar power,” says Michael Yang, executive president of Hanergy Product Development Group. “Hanergy’s thin-film solar technology is perfect for consumer applications, like rapid-charging solar energy strips that can charge cell phones and other electronic devices, as well as household solar solutions like rooftop panels and building-integrated PV [photovoltaics].
