Beijing begins to take renewable energy seriously?

Beijing, China’s pollution capital, has just issued its first plan for new and renewable energy.

Its aim: make the city “greener” while earning money in the process.

The plan put forward by the Beijing Development and Reform Commission or BDRC calls for implementing renewable energy projects that will produce 6% of the city’s electricity by 2015 and replace 5.5 million tonnes of standard coal in the process. The projects are expected to earn the city 100 billion yuan in revenue.

Also by 2015, Beijing expects to establish between six and eight research and development centers; two testing centers and five to 10 institutes for technology consulting to boost its new and renewable energy market.

BDRC said major new and renewable energy projects include a 31 Megawatt photovoltaic project at Badaling near the Great Wall of China; a 20 MW ground mounted solar power project in the Miyu District; a 41 MW photovoltaic project in Yizhuang and a 10 MW photovoltaic demonstration project in Zhongguancun.

In 2010, electricity used in Beijing generated from new and renewable energy sources was the equivalent of consuming 2.23 million tonnes of standard coal. This new and renewable energy usage represented a 2.7 fold increase over 2005 and an average annual growth of 30.1%.

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