The press release landed early this p.m. annoucing that the first APS 1000 reactor vessel has arrived at a nuclear plant project in Zhejiang province.
China will build as many as 50 nuclear power plants in the next five years – more than the rest of the world combined. That would represent half the number of reactors now operating in the United States.
While the world is pondering the significance of the Fukushima accident to the future of nuclear power - China plows on.
It seems to be leading on all energy fronts.
Michael Morris, the chief executive of American Electric Power, was blunt.
Why did AEP, the largest coal-burning utility in America, shun a U.S. government led research consortium to develop clean coal technology, while joining a similar effort in China? The Chinese are more focused and can accomplish more, and faster than we can, he told the audience at my magazine’s energy policy conference in Washington several months ago.
A small Massachusetts firm, Evergreen Solar, made national headlines early this year when it announced that it was laying off 800 workers and moving production to a joint venture in China.
Every day, news reports underscore the fact that the future of the global energy sector is being forged largely in China.
Consider:
-
Chinese companies control half the $45 billion global market for wind power.
-
60 percent of worldwide solar power production is based in China.
-
China intends to produce 20 percent of its power from renewables by 2020.
-
Clean energy technology investments in China soared to $51.1 billion last year, an increase of 30 percent from the previous year and one-fifth of the amount spent worldwide.
All of us in the energy world must pay attention to what all this means. Specifically:
-
The full scope of China’s plans to develop its economy.
-
How the financial resources are being assembled to execute this development without over-heating China’s economy, which would have debilitating consequences both within the country and worldwide.
-
China’s plans to become a leader in –
-
Clean coal generation, including carbon capture and storage
-
Driving down the cost of solar power so that it is competitive with other sources of energy
-
Next generation, safe nuclear generation
-
The pursuit for new energy storage technologies which will enhance the value of intermittent wind and solar power
Answers to these questions will be very important in China - and in America.
Our worid is in deep trouble, The chances of it supporting what is left of humanity for an extended period are growing less and less each day. It's beginning to look like civilization is a cancer that is destroying the natural environment at a rate the earth can not withstand. Where do we go from here? What are the chances we can reverse these criminal actions that have gripped virtually every nation with greed and sefl centered control exerted by the ruling top 1% in their societies? We need a comprehensive energy policy, as long as we have the pay to play system and the 3 wars and a military industrial complex using the citizens of America American as their personal ATM Machine, as warned by president Eisenhower, in control, our chances are less than zero of coming out of this with a healthy society of nations on a healthy planet. It's not going to happen. Is it time to abandon the two political parties who brought us into this den of corruption and disrespect for the people of America and everything our great country once stood for? Peace, Justice and the American Way. How long has it been that there was justice in this country? Justice is who can pay the most. For Democracy to flourish there has to be a free and open press and a thing that used to exist in this country called Journalism. With out good and open press run by quality journalists free to speak their news, Democracy is Dead. It's been dead in the main stream bought and paid for corporate media for a long time. Until we get it back, we have an uphill battle at best to beat China to the lunch counter, Our lunch has been eaten.
having lunch on America in the energy industry development. I don't see a connection?
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP),India
Wind Energy Expert
E-mail: anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail.com
if you don't work hard, why should somebody employ you instead of other deligent guy and even in a lower salary cost?
When facing the toughest problems, the right attitude is how to fix the problems as fast as we can, not who's gonna lead or who's gonna get the benefits, that is not the right open attitude.
If you are better than others, prove it by doing some great thing, not just talking and arguing that you are!
if you are not, you'd better be quiet, the problem will not leave for you until you can, somebody will get it, it is not about China or india, the solution could be brought out anywhere, by anyone. and We all will get the benefits.
They want to produce low cost and reliable power in order to help fuel their overall competitiveness in the global economy. The technology mix in this plan will take into account many technologies and ALL the fuels they have economically available to them. While these plants will be relatively clean, they won't necessarily meet the stringent air emission requirements of Europe and the USA.
Sounds like a good plan to me. That is if you want to be globally competitive.
The tie-in with China on this? The Chinese are simply playing to the market. They know the renewable agenda is being pushed hard, allowing developers of renewables to feed at the public trough both here and in Europe. They priate technology, subsidize their manufacturers, and control their currency exhchange counting on the US to feel challenged so the objections to PTCs and cash grants with taxpayer funds cannot gain traction thereby allowing them to keep raking in money from the developers. They ignore human rights and environmentally unsound practices (dumping chemicals from manufacturing processes) while pursuing by hook or by crook market domination.