Cleaner Greener China

For me, there are few issues more important than water in China.  It is a resource that is becoming scarce in the North, and for many, its contamination is an issue that threatens economic security and health.

to that end, I want to highlight the recently released World Bank report Water Pollution Emergencies In China, prevention and response (PDF Download here):

The purpose of this paper is to provide policy recommendations to assist the Government of China in improving environmental emergency prevention and response in the high risk industrial sector.

With each disaster ( Wuxi algae blooms, Qingdao blooms, Haierbin spills, and dozens of others), the pressure mounts on the central party to address the downside of hyperdevelopment… and to clean up.

to assist them in this, the WB report makes the following recomendations:

1) To Improve the Legislative and Regulatory Framework.
2) Improve Organizational Arrangements and Strengthen Coordination
3) To Establish Mechanisms for Incentives and Liabilities.
4) To Provide Funds through Proper Channels.
5) Strengthen Risk Assessment, Management and Planning.
6) To Improve Chemical Information Management.
7) To Build the Capacity of First Response.
To Strengthen Monitoring, Timely Reporting and Disclosure of Emergency Situations.
9) To Cleanup Pollutants Rapidly and Mitigate Impacts.
10) To Undertake Incident Investigation and Draw and Share Experiences/Lessons

Where I think these recommendations fall short, and recommendations I would make are:

1) Develop relationships and clear channels with environmental NGOs who would identify polluters and document damage in a non-confrontational manner

2) Promote environmental education and awareness programs within the educational system, and invest in ongoing public campaigns that heighten public awareness of the issues and how they themselves can improve conditions.

3) Begin tying the issues of water pollution to health through food quality, water quality, etc and through this foster consumer pressure on companies to improve their standards.

4) Get them early before they develop bad habits

Greener Tech, Policies and Issues cleantech, policy, regulation, water pollution

Several years back while working in the valuation industry, I learned just how attractive China’s water management/ waste management was to outside investment.

It was certainly an area that we all knew needed help, as some recent examples show, but at the time the deals were still few and far between.  The statistics that 60-70% of water in China seemed to catalyze this process much at the time, but with the blooms in Wuxi, the numerous stories of contamination, and the government’s commitment to providing clean drinking water in many cities… they were left with little choice.

Statistics show 400 Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, “have inadequate water supplies,” California-based Cleantech Group says.  300 major Chinese cities reportedly lack wastewater facilities.

and to address these issues, the green channel for investment has been opened.

One of the newest projects is a treatment facility built by Germany’s Siemens Water Technologies, which provides 100,000 cubic metres of water daily. Siemens also signed an agreement with the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu province, to improve the water quality of Taihu Lake. Some 11 other provinces have announced plans to build 42 new wastewater plants.

France’s Suez Environnement will start a drinking water project in Chongqing, and an industrial water and wasterwater project in Changshou. U.S.-based ITT has won a contract for a cooling tower, wastewater treatment and the heating and air conditioning systems for LDK Solar in Xinyu.

In addition to the story above, here are some related studies I found:

• Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Market in China
• A Survey of Wastewater Treatment Facility Installation in China
• Charge Reform in China’s Wastewater Treatment Sector

Greener Tech, Policies and Issues investment, water

With a chronic shortage of water plaguing much of China’s north and northwest regions, investment in water technologies like drip irrigation are gaining the attention of local officials who are looking to support their regions.

Previously used in Israel and other areas where access to water is severly limitied, the early tests of Xinjiang’s drip irrigation appear to be bearing fruit:

In the Xinjiang region, replacing flood irrigation with drip irrigation on just 5,000 acres of cotton farmland has the potential to reduce water use by 22 percent, save 6 million liters (1.6 million U.S. gallons) a year, increase cultivable area by 5 percent by eliminating ditches, reduce chemical fertilizers by 10 percent, and improve yield by 30 percent, according to the report.

The key going forward will be central party recognition that this technology has a wider application in China, and through investment in this technology China can reduce the amount of water needed to raise its crops.

Greener Tech Agriculture, water

UK Trade & Investment has come out with a guide on Opportunities for Environmental Industries in China (PDF HERE), and I would suggest that anyone who is manufacturing or marketing green products look at this document to learn more about China’s landscape.

At a brief 2 pages, this document gives a couple of paragraphs on Air, water, and solid waste pollution issues in China.. and a few areas where companies can enter… but the core reason for you to view the document is for the names and contact details of people who can assist you.

As an additional resource, here is also the guide from the American Chamber of Commerce (PDF HERE) and from the Alberta China office (PDF HERE)

Additionally, UK Trade & INvestment does have an online magazine called Environmental Opportunities Overseas that is also quite good as well (it is not China specific)

Greener Companies, Greener Products, Greener Tech publication

For China, algae blooms are an issue they have been dealing with for a long time.  In the last 2 years, there has been international coverage of blooms in Wuxi (China’s 3rd largest lake) and Qingdao (right before the Olympics), but the problem is much larger and has a longer history.

When covering the issues last year, I began looking at biomass applications that would use algae, but everything I saw kept telling me that the algae that China is constantly fighting is not the same breed - of the right strain - as the type needed to create energy.

Two article this week may change that, and there may now be firms who are able to use the pond scum of China and turn it into something useful.

the first comes from Earth2Tech who are reporting PetroSun to Make Algae Fuel in China.

plans to establish an algae farm in China that will produce algae to be converted into biofuels. The company says it has an agreement with the Shanghai Jun Ya Yan Technology Development Co., which will commit $40 million to fund the initial construction of the farm. The profits of the venture will be split between PetroSun’s China subsidiary and Shanghai Jun Ya Yan Tech.

The next post, 15 Algae Startups Bringing Pond Scum to Fuel Tanks, is an older post from Earth2Tech that lists 15 different firms who are working on various common algae conversions

despite the fact that algae-to-biofuel startups have been taking their sweet time bringing a pond scum fuel product to market, some inroads have been made recently

Where this will get interesting, and perhaps exciting, is if firms are able to capture the algae blooms that China is normally producing and convert that into energy.

Greener Companies, Greener Tech algae, biomass, Energy

Located an hour away from Beijing in the Binhai area, Tianjin has a long history as a port city and a commercial city.  Its 11 million people are know to be strong in industry, and the government has spent a lot of time and energy in creating it as a financial services hub as well (helps with Hu Jin Tao calling Tianjin home).

As a means to catalyze its cleanup, Tianjin has made a few announcements that would lead us to beleive that it is a city in the midst of a transformation.  It main economic zone (Tianjin Economic Development Area) lined its streets with LED bulbs, it moved all the chemical parks out of the city to the south of the city, and it has recently partnered with the Singaporian government to create an “eco-city”

The project will be developed in three stages over the next three to five years by the proposed Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Investment and Development Co  Ltd (SSTEC Investment & Development).

Stage One occupies a land area of approximately 110 hectares, one third of the size of the SUA. It is the template for the development of the Tianjin Eco-City and will comprise of residential developments, a commercial sub-centre and a business park. There will also be amenities such as schools, clinics, recreational facilities, shopping malls and parks.

The main focus in on on energy efficiency and eco-solutions to ensure the effective and efficient recycling of refuse, sewerage and wastewater as well as the practical use of renewable energy, will be integrated.

A convenient light rail system, smart road designs and well-connected walk paths will ensure an eco-friendly transportation network to reduce the use of private cars.

Where I am holding my breath a bit on this though, is that I have recently spent quite a bit of time in the area of Tianjin, and the city has a very serious air quality issue - particularly near the port and in the areas along the Binhai Bay where the dirtiest industries have been moved.

Keeping in mind It will take more than a couple hundred hecters to fulfill “eco-city” standards, where I am encouraged is that this project will become a model for others.  The previous partnerhsip between Singapore and China at this level led to the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park, one of China’s most prosperous and clean, and with Singapore being a “fine city”, I believe that they will have the power to influence cleaner greener advances going forward.

Greener Companies, Greener Tech

Developing biomass from cellulose has been a key step for many, and two Chinese scientists (one based in China and one in the US) have developed a way using tungsten carbide to split the cellulose into its sugar components so that those components can be fermented into biomass.

Where this research may yield benefits is (1) the current starch based ethanol process is not scalable to the size needed and (2) moving to a cellulose based biomass would relieve the existing inflationary pressure on food stocks.

The full article is here.

Greener People, Greener Tech biomass, Energy

The article Massive Solar Energy Production Base to be Built in China announces:

To solve energy shortages and improve the urban environment, Kunming’s Government has released “Advice on renewable energy development and utilization”. According to the “Advice”, around the Kunming Dianchi Lake basin, up to 2920 square kilometers of area will be used to utilize solar light and heat. This will achieve a penetration rate of 50% by 2010. The first demonstration zone will achieve 70% utilization. Urban construction with integration of solar energy application should be present in 90% of new architecture. The percentage of urban area that will utilize solar energy will reach 60%, with the percentage in rural areas reaching 20%. The government says that by 2015 the solar light and heat utilization area will amount to 6,000,000 square meters, with solar photovoltaic applications of up to a hundred megawatts or more.

When fully running, this project will make Kunming the largest producer of solar in China (the world?)

Known as the Spring City, Kunming gets a lot of sun and what could be particularly interesting about this project (and the support that it will take to make sure it happens), is that it could provide millions in Yunnan’s poorer regions with their energy needs as well.

Greener Tech Energy, solar

CCTV’s Biz China 360 looked at the need for clean energy in China, and I highly recommend spending the 15 minutes to watch the video and read the article.

through the interviews of various members from Greenpeace, the investment community, and industry, a nice overview of the the current situation in China… and what needs to be done.

My favorite quote comes from Edward Law

“So what is China’s Green Dream? For the central government it is about reducing pollution, consumption of resources and environmental impact while increasing productivity.

It is all about striking the right balance between managing growth and conservation, efficiency and employment.

To watch the video click WATCH VIDEO

Greener Tech, Policies and Issues, Uncategorized cleantech, Energy

IT has been a while since I have taken a break, but for the next 10 days I will be on vacation in Thailand.

To keep you busy, I have put together a list of articles, reports, and Youtubes that I will be reading through myself.

Have a good week, and I’ll be back on Oct 7

Sustainability
Experiences and Challenges in China Energy Efficiency Goals
Review Sustainable Development in China (2008) - PDF
China Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development - PDF
sustainability reporting: towards corporate excellence - PDF
Anaerobic Digestion in Rural China

Cleantech
Clean tech center set to spring up in Shanghai
China Cleantech Venture Capital Investment Report - PDF
CLEANTECH IN 2008: ACCELERATING INNOVATION IN CHINA - PDF
Venture Capital’s Clean Dreams for China

Urban Planning
China’s Urban Revolution and What it Means for the world
Urban Planning System in China - PDF
China’s Pro-growth Urban Planning in Rapid Urbanization - PDF
CHINA’S CITIES, GLOBALIZATION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - PDF
China’s Urban Sustainability Challenges - PDF

Water
John Elkington: Talking Water and SustainAbility at the World Economic Forum
Food and Water Sustainability in China 2007 - PDF
Eco-Complexity and Sustainability in China’s Water Management - PDF
Water Resources and Sustainability in China - PDF

Energy
Vinod Khosla: Time to Get Practical on Energy Solutions
GE eyes energy and green opportunities in China
Experiences and Challenges in China Energy Efficiency Goals - PDF
CHINA ENERGY SCENE 2008 - PDF
2007-2008 Annual Report on the Development of China’s New Energy Industry - PDF

Supply Chains
chinadialogue: Supply and demand
Linking small businesses to a sustainable supply chain - PDF

Design
Discussions with Frog Design Founder Dr. Hartmut Esslinger
Dell Commits to Dramatic Change in Laptops

Greener Tech, Uncategorized