China will see a greater development and use of renewable energy
in the years to come as the country has adopted policies to
encourage greater efforts in this regard.
The Renewable Energy Law of China, which came into effect on
January 1 this year, stipulates that development and use of
renewables such as solar energy are an area of priority for future
energy development.
In accordance with the law, real estate developers are required
to take the use of solar energy into consideration in designing and
constructing buildings in order to provide application of solar
energy with basic conditions.
The Chinese Ministry of Construction lays down a goal in an
energy-efficient program for buildings of the 2000-2010 period
stating the availability of solar panel heaters in Chinese homes
should be between 20 percent and 30 percent.
Luo Zhentao, head of solar energy thermal application with the
China Association for Renewable Energy in Rural Areas, contends
with the promulgation of the above mentioned measures, which are
sure to advance thermal application of solar energy, and it is also
imperative for the central Chinese government to give tax
preferential treatment to businesses engaged in converting solar
energy into heat.
"Lowering the current 17 percent added value tax for thermal use
of solar energy to six percent will help reduce operating cost for
enterprises and encourage them to increase investment in technical
upgrading," said Luo, who believed rural areas of the country would
be a key region for the spreading of affordable home solar panel
heaters in the future.
China now leads the world by production and application of solar
panel heaters. It now has 2,000 businesses engaged in thermal
application of solar energy and produced 75 million square meters
of solar panel heaters, or 60 percent of the world's total.
With 75 million square meters of solar energy heaters, China is
saved from burning 110 million tons of standard coal annually.
It is estimated that the Chinese market demand for solar panel
heaters will rise to 300 million square meters by the year
2020.
(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2006)