Solar Energy in China - Report Example

Solar Energy in China Introduction The solar cell uses sun light to make electrons travel ( Dahr , 2013). Each cell is made up of two layers which are stuck closely together. When the light hits an electron within the first layer, the electron jumps and travels to the second layer. This second layer has some electrons removed and is therefore ready to take in these electrons. The rapid and frequent movement of the electrons creates electricity. One the cells are in place there is almost no more expenditure as power comes from sunlight at no further cost. This power can of course be utilised in many ways such as heating, lighting, running machinery and controlling traffic lights and other road signs. It can be used on roofs, but also in small panels to control small pieces of equipment such as road signs or personal calculators. The panels can also be inserted in to road surfaces to provide energy for communities large and small. So it is a useful and cost effective option, and according to Cole (2013) those costs are falling all the time and will continue to do so. China, simply because of its sheer size first of all, is the world’s highest producer at present of carbon dioxide gas, the increase in which is cited as the main reason for global warming ( Cole 2013). In an attempt to overcome this negative impact, according to Karaian (2014) China is spending massive amounts upon renewable energy sources, and solar power in particular. He cites figures of $175 billion spent in 9 months on clean energy sources. This accounts for the majority of money spent globally on such energy sources. On the other hand Kiaran also believes that this kind of input cannot last. This is because such spending depends to a great extent upon subsidies, especially with regard to solar power. Without such government subsides the amount spent would almost certainly follow a similar pattern to Europe ,where spending on solar power has dropped to the lowest amount in eight years after cut backs in government subsidies. Why should this programme be supported? Renewable energy, clean energy and solar energy in particular, must logically be the way forward, as populations continue to rise and there are more and more calls upon traditional resources such as oil, gas, wood and coal. A programme to support solar power should be promoted because of its long term benefits, although there are initial expenses. Other resources are finite. Gas and coal supplies were laid down millions of years ago, but are being consumed at a great rate. Not only is the population globally increasing, they are also now using many machines, forms of heating, lighting and communication than previously. Wood can be obtained from forests to provide energy, but the trees are being used up faster than new wood can be grown, even if more trees are planted. Wood burning also produces smoke. This in turn has a negative effect upon carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and this leads to global warming (NRDC 2014) . The use of wood and coal for cooking and heating requires supplies to be mined or felled, transported, processed and then traded. All of this takes time and energy, whereas sunlight is available for free even on dull days throughout the world. In the third world how much time would be freed up if people didn’t have to spend time every day looking for fuel. They could have a solar powered pump to bring water. The free time could then be spent farming or in education or another trade and progress could be made, especially for women. Also smoky atmospheres are not good for human health, or for the environment in general. According to Bork (2005) it isn’t just tobacco smoke which is carcinogenic, but almost all combustible materials, when burnt, are capable of producing carcinogens. But not only is solar power cleaner and safer in this way, but it is also a lot less likely to get out of control and cause fires. We may be aware that the Great Fire of London was caused by a careless bakery fire, (History Learning Site 2014) but how many more people, especially children, are injured by raw flames each year? According to the World Health Organisation (2014) about 3 billion people globally cook or heat their homes using open fires and of these many millions will die prematurely because of such things as smoke inhalation which can cause pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as cancers. Aims and Objectives of a Solar Energy Policy In 2007 the Chinese government produced its ‘Medium and Long Term Plan for Renewable Energy in China’(National Development and Reform Commission, 2007). The aims and objectives are clearly set out :- To speed up the process of developing renewable energy sources such as wind power; hydropower; biomass energy and solar power. They found that in the majority of the country, especially in the west. There were very favourable conditions for using solar power. To increase the proportion of energy being produced using renewable sources. Many people in China are off grid in rural communities and the aim would be to bring an end to fuel poverty by bringing in renewable energy methods. There is also an aim to increase innovation in this field using home grown talents. By 2020 the aim would be to increase power from solar energy from its 2010 level of 300 MW to 1.8 GW. The Implications If this policy were worked out in reality not only would many more people have a source of relatively cheap energy, but other changes would occur. Fewer people would be injured in domestic fires, or suffer from conditions related to smoke inhalation. Medical services would therefore be free to concentrate more on other areas of concern. The costs of building a solar powered plant are now at a parity with building one which uses gas or coal, but these are of course finite resources, whereas the sun is not, so overtime costs will be less and less ( Cole 2013). The money saved could be ploughed into any number of things such as education, research into better farming methods, better transport links and forms of communication. Some households or companies might be able to afford their own solar panels, but many would need to use government schemes. This would mean a great initial outlay, but this would be soon repaid as people’s life styles improved they would presumably be paying greater levels of tax. If the innovations aimed at are to be achieved then young people need to be highly educated in scientific and engineering skills. There would also be an increased need to people to make, transport and fit many million units. These would however require little maintenance once in place, so this would be a medium term boost in employment. Accountability China is a massive country, and although it has a central government which produces national policies, it also has other layers of government. It would be down to local government officials to decide such things as where the power is most needed, and to organise labour and provision on the regional and local level, as well as to evaluate the results of the new energy sources. Just as power in the country is from the top down, so accountability for the carrying out of policies ultimately rests where the power lies, but that doesn’t mean that local officials do not hold responsibility for their region, town or area. It is simply more pragmatic that a local difficulty be referred to local people, and it would only if such a system failed, perhaps through corruption or plain inefficiency, that the matter would be taken higher. Communications Wang and Lim (2011) discuss communications within China. They describe how important this is, stating that when communications break down between a government and its citizens then the whole of society can become unstable. Despite modern communications this can be a problem in such a large and diverse country. Wang and Lim go on to describe communication as having three levels. These are information, consultation and active participation ( Comm Gap 2009). So the government gives the people information about energy sources, costs benefits and so on. It consults with them, asking of opinions perhaps, or what they think is needed and how their local community could make necessary changes. This feed-back is considered important by some governments, less so by others, who consider that policies are fixed only by central decisions. According to Coleman (2005) governments are much more likely to give out information than to listen to local opinions. In some ways this would be a practical approach, as there will always be those who think a particular decision or policy is wrong, even if it suits the majority. To do this governments use official channels such as producing reports, but also mass media such as television, radio and web sites. Citizens may respond by contacting officials by letter, telephone or e-mails, but also use such means as personal blogs and other internet communication methods to express their opinions. Finally the government gets people involved. If people can see how they personally will benefit they are more likely to co-operate – so they are perhaps offered solar panels at a subsidised rate, or offered work delivering or making panels, a place on a training course, or at university on an engineering course. In this way they have some ownership and they are much more likely to respond positively than if they are merely bombarded with statistics. Did this policy work? China now has a China Renewable Energy Industry Association ( JUCCCE, 2014) a non-profit organisation which believes it can make an important and positive contribution to the world by making China greener and cleaner. However the country is still the world’s largest consumer of energy, especially as its citizens try to emulate western nations and so consume more than previous generations. It is also the largest producer of negative emissions and these drift across causing problems for other nations ( Estes, 2014). The group quote Qiu Bao Xing, Vice Minister of China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Construction, as having said “"The world is at war with energy, and China is our battlefront." At least it can be said that the Chinese government recognises both the problem it faces and its responsibility in the matter. However the JUCCCE asks for voluntary contributions. How will that ever be enough to deal with the problem? And yet the group close their statement by saying:- Although China is faced with enormous environmental challenges, it can experiment quickly to prove and deploy innovative sustainable solutions. What can help China become sustainable can help the world become sustainable. And that's good for all of us. China is now manufacturing about 80% of the world’s solar panels ( Quartz, 2014). The country has the capacity to make sustainable technologies which are affordable for all. China. It has manufacturing capability, which when combined with economies created by large scale production , can bring the cost of component. JUCCCE quoted a price panels producing a watt at only $1 in 2011. The battle is not won, but at least the troops have rallied. They know their aims and targets, and they seem to have the majority of the population behind them (Climate Progress, 2012). References Bork, J., (2005 ) Re: Is all smoke carcinogenic? MadSci Network, retrieved from http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2005-02/1109562409.Me.r.html Climate Progress, (2012) 57% of Chinese Citizens Want More Investment in Environment over Economy, retrieved from http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/57-of-Chinese-Citizens-Want-More-Investment-in-Environment-over-Economy.html Cole, J., (2013) The Incredible Shrinking Cost of Solar Energy Drives Mega-Projects around the World, Informed Comment, retrieved from http://www.juancole.com/2013/05/incredible-shrinking-projects.html Coleman, S. (2005) E-democracy and the UK government, in Garson .G.( editor) Handbook of government information systems, (2nd Edition) , ppages 631- 642,Florida, Taylor and Francis Group Comm Gap, (2009) The Contribution of Government Communication Capacity to Achieving Good Governance Outcomes retrieved from http://www.gsdrc.org/go/display&type=Document&id=3722 Dahr, M., (2013) How do solar panels work? Live Science, retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/41995-how-do-solar-panels-work.html Estes, A., (2014) Of Course, China's Bad Air Is Polluting the West Coast, Gizmodo, retrieved from http://gizmodo.com/of-course-chinas-bad-air-is-polluting-the-west-coast- 1505777177 History Learning Site ( 2014) Great Fire of London, retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/great_fire_of_london_of_1666.htm JUCCCE (2014) retrieved from http://juccce.org/china-renewable-energy-industry- association Karaian,J., (2014) China is driving a global renewable-energy rebound—but it might not last, Quartz, retrieved from http://qz.com/275577/china-is-driving-a-global-renewable- energy-rebound-but-it-might-not-last/ National Development and Reform Commission, (2007) Medium and Long Term Plan for Renewable Energy in China, retrieved from www.cresp.org.cn/.../medium%20and%20long-term%20development%2.. NRDC, (2014) Global Warming, retrieved from http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/ Quartz, (2014) Call it the great green leap forward, retrieved from http://qz.com/70732/china-is-about-to-become-the-worlds-biggest-green-energy-market-but-its-hard-for-foreign-firms-to-play/ Wang, Z. and Lim,N., (2011) the use of official and unofficial channels in government – citizen communications in China, Electronic Journal of e-government, Volume 9 Issue 1 retrieved from www.ejeg.com/issue/download.html?idArticle=226 World Health Organisation, (2014) Household Pollution and Health, Fact Sheet 292, retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs292/en/ Read More

All of this takes time and energy, whereas sunlight is available for free even on dull days throughout the world. In the third world how much time would be freed up if people didn’t have to spend time every day looking for fuel. They could have a solar powered pump to bring water. The free time could then be spent farming or in education or another trade and progress could be made, especially for women. Also smoky atmospheres are not good for human health, or for the environment in general.

According to Bork (2005) it isn’t just tobacco smoke which is carcinogenic, but almost all combustible materials, when burnt, are capable of producing carcinogens. But not only is solar power cleaner and safer in this way, but it is also a lot less likely to get out of control and cause fires. We may be aware that the Great Fire of London was caused by a careless bakery fire, (History Learning Site 2014) but how many more people, especially children, are injured by raw flames each year? According to the World Health Organisation (2014) about 3 billion people globally cook or heat their homes using open fires and of these many millions will die prematurely because of such things as smoke inhalation which can cause pneumonia, stroke, ischaemic heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as cancers.

Aims and Objectives of a Solar Energy Policy In 2007 the Chinese government produced its ‘Medium and Long Term Plan for Renewable Energy in China’(National Development and Reform Commission, 2007). The aims and objectives are clearly set out :- To speed up the process of developing renewable energy sources such as wind power; hydropower; biomass energy and solar power. They found that in the majority of the country, especially in the west. There were very favourable conditions for using solar power.

To increase the proportion of energy being produced using renewable sources. Many people in China are off grid in rural communities and the aim would be to bring an end to fuel poverty by bringing in renewable energy methods. There is also an aim to increase innovation in this field using home grown talents. By 2020 the aim would be to increase power from solar energy from its 2010 level of 300 MW to 1.8 GW. The Implications If this policy were worked out in reality not only would many more people have a source of relatively cheap energy, but other changes would occur.

Fewer people would be injured in domestic fires, or suffer from conditions related to smoke inhalation. Medical services would therefore be free to concentrate more on other areas of concern. The costs of building a solar powered plant are now at a parity with building one which uses gas or coal, but these are of course finite resources, whereas the sun is not, so overtime costs will be less and less ( Cole 2013). The money saved could be ploughed into any number of things such as education, research into better farming methods, better transport links and forms of communication.

Some households or companies might be able to afford their own solar panels, but many would need to use government schemes. This would mean a great initial outlay, but this would be soon repaid as people’s life styles improved they would presumably be paying greater levels of tax. If the innovations aimed at are to be achieved then young people need to be highly educated in scientific and engineering skills. There would also be an increased need to people to make, transport and fit many million units.

These would however require little maintenance once in place, so this would be a medium term boost in employment. Accountability China is a massive country, and although it has a central government which produces national policies, it also has other layers of government. It would be down to local government officials to decide such things as where the power is most needed, and to organise labour and provision on the regional and local level, as well as to evaluate the results of the new energy sources.

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