China Is Investing in Renewable Energy – But Why
China Is Investing in Renewable Energy –But Why?Download your free copy of the report here. |
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China Is Investing in Renewable Energy –But Why?Download your free copy of the report here. |
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It should be noted that China is also investing heavily in nuclear power, including the liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR). The Chinese are well aware that those energy sources called renewable have only a very limited rôle to play and while that rôle should not be ignored, the more important rôle of nuclear power requires that far more research should be invested in it instead of in renewables.
LFTR nuclear technology, when fully developed, would avoid most of the current objections to nuclear power. It’s unfortunate that, mainly because of military considerations, the decision was made decades ago to go with uranium nuclear technology and abandon LFTR nuclear technology even though LFTR technology had been demonstrated to be superior for civilian applications.
Continuing to push renewables excessively will delay the transition from fossil fuels and their associated hazards, including pollution and global warming.
Adding to Frank Eggers, China is also investing heavily in coal fired generation. Wisely, given their anticipated large demand increase, they have chosen to invest in all technologies.
The Peoples Republic of China, is investing in basically three energy industries. (apart from Oil/Gas)
a) Coal: Within six years the PRC will complete over 850 massive coal fired power stations. This will make PRC the world largest consumer of coal, several times over.
b)Nuclear: With 26 new plants under construction and 200 more planned, PRC with overtake the US in nuclear power with 10 years.
c)Bio-Fuels, Recently PRC investment in solar and wind budgets were reduced dramatically as the PLA insisted that bio-fuels were strategically more advantageous to the PRC.
It’s a common mistake by Sinophiles to imagine that the PRC has an environmental aspect to it’s energy policy. Expediency is all that matters to the authorities in Beijing, and the rest is just carefully constructed propaganda!
China pushes renewables effectively and may overtake Germany which generated over 20 percent of its electricity so far this year from renewables, thanks to its highly effective FIT (Feed-in-Tariff) program.
The US solar industry grew 102 percent last year and may double again this year, by far the fastest growing US industry in the deep recession. Solar costs are dropping rapidly, weeding-out less efficient producers, which is normal for any new, fast-growing industry.
Germany is phasing out nuclear power, along with several other nations. Even France is trying to become less dependant on nuclear because recent accidents and severe hot spells have made nuclear unreliable when their rivers became too warm for safe reactor cooling.
New nuclear plants increase greenhouse gas emissions for years because of copious fossil fuel consumption for site preparation, plant construction and uranium mining, processing and shipment. A new nuclear plant permitted today must pay off its “energy debt” in 25 years or longer, before it bgins making any net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
We should focus research and subsidies on solar, wind, geothermal, wave, tidal and in-line hydropower plus energy efficiency and storage with grid upgrades, rather than subsidizing dangerous nuclear power and fossil fuels.
Among renewable energy sources, I feel that geothermal energy is less sustainable because it is dependent upon the heat stored in the Earth.
What are the consequences of large scale extraction of the earth’s heat by geothermal power plants? Will it result in cooling the earth so rapidly that it affects the climate?
We also have to remember that our planet is more habitable because it remains warm during nights when there is no sun due to the internal thermal energy given off by the earth.
Rather than extract heat from within the earth, why not put dwellings, offices, and other buildings underground so that they could remain warm due to earth’s warmth while at the same time becoming more immune to fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters?
@K.A.Sayeed.
Relax! There is no reason to become a cave dweller! (or a mole)
Geo-thermal energy is hugely abundant from two sources, the planet has certain ‘hot spots’ due to either the construction of the earths crust, or deposits of decaying radio-active material.
The energy stored in the planet is very difficult to tap, but any human efforts to tap this energy would be so infinitesimal that it would have absolutely no effect on cooling the planet.
You say that the reason the USA is slow in adopting renewable energy is complex. You couldn’t be more wrong… it is simple. When we purchase gas over 30+ cents per gallon goes to the feds + in NYS another 30+ cents goes to the state. That is over $10 per fill-up. The legislators will never give up that revenue (both parties) in favor of green energy. We must reverse the incentives before we can make progress.