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Red China Turns Green?
By Claus Schafhalter | March 9, 2010
China’s communist government announced in its latest 10-year plan a target to produce 15% of the country’s energy demand using “clean” technologies. As China is growing rapidly energy consumption is believed to increase substantially.
The major source for electric power is coal, about 65% of electricity comes from coal fired power plants. Hydro provides about 20%, and renewable sources provide about 10% in 2009, according to a consultant citing government data.
China’s new target is to produce 15% of their electricity needs using clean technologies. Which triggers huge investments into this area.
Still, there is one nasty surprise when looking at their plan: According to China’s definition clean technologies include solar and wind, but also Nuclear power plants!
Defining it this way means that France with about 80% nuclear power is very clean, while China using a majority of coal fired power might get “cleaner”, but misses clean by a far distance. And in my definition neither France nor China should be called “green”.
Looks like China stays red after all.
Claus Schafhalter, Sunogos
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