China�s huge investment in clean energy to shake off bad boy image
Mpho Mokwape | Wednesday June 28, 2017 17:22
But the authorities hope that with the shift towards seeking other measures of at least reducing the emissions from industries and the coal power production, things will improve for the better and reduce their contribution to global warming.
China is seeking a new dawn as it pulls all stops and its resources towards the production of clean energy for household use and industries with big investments in solar power and wind energy production, especially as the need to drastically cut dependence on coal as source of energy increases.
With Beijing alone being one of the most polluted cities in the world, the Chinese authorities have set up some of the biggest farms in far-flung areas where clean energy is being harvested for use.
One such area is the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. Situated in China’s northern frontier, the region with some of the beautiful cities in China houses some of the country’s biggest wind and solar power plants.
With an estimated budget of 60 billion RMB, the Wind Power Plant in Huitengxile Grassland about 135km from the region’s capital city Hohhot sits on a vast area of land and it is one of the six farms China is betting on to reduce dependence of harmful energy sources as it produces at least 1GW of power that can power thousands of households and industries.
The authorities of the region during a recent visit to the plant said in the past years wind power has been doubling in the country, giving hope that more energy would be produced as years goes by.
They (authorities) explained that though the country is still heavily relying on coal burning as a source of energy, which is also the biggest contributor to air pollution in the country, they are hoping that the 30% contributed by the wind power combined with solar power will increase in years and reduce dependence of harmful energy sources.
“The region and the country still use coal burning as a source of energy as it produces at least 70% of the consumed power and we are hoping with power farms around the country aimed at producing clean energy, the war on air pollution is no longer a dream but a reality,” said the region authorities.
On the other hand, the country is home to many of the largest solar power stations in the world. Most of the solar farms are already connected to the power grid and contributing significantly to the power consumption in the country.
A recent visit to the one at Ordos city in the Inner Mongolia region has been hailed as one of the biggest contributors not only to clean energy but to poverty alleviation as many households benefit from its set up and maintenance on a regular basis.
The solar power plant lies on a vast area of land with over 70,000 solar panels and it is estimated that it can power over 15,000 households on a daily basis.
Meanwhile, China’s move to wind and solar power, though it is not enough to clean up the country’s dirty skies, there is hope that it will bring an end to rising emissions of harmful gases in the future and at least wipe the country’s bad image of being the biggest contributor to global warming dangers.
*Mpho Mokwape is in Beijing, China on the ongoing Fourth China Africa Press Centre Programme, which 27 African journalists to experience and explore the oriental giant.