China’s Energy Industry Gains Steam

Across the world， energy conservation is gaining new prominence in government policy. China is no different， as the central government targets new strategies designed to achieve sustainable development and make the country more environmentally friendly.

Early in August 2013， the State Council of China issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Energy Saving and Environmental Protection Industry， which stated that the value of the energy-saving industry’s output should grow 15 percent annually. The report also stated that by 2015， the last year of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan， the industry should become a new pillar for the national economy， with an output value worth more than 4.5 trillion yuan（US$660 billion）. In addition， China has planned for a further increase during the 13th Five-Year Plan period， including promotion of the energy conservation industry through measures like encouraging top enterprises to focus on products that reduce pollution. China’s energy conservation companies have made fresh goals for the year 2017， in line with the country’s policy of reducing pollution.

Enhancing Energy Efficiency

Generating greater amounts of energy from the same amount of raw materials， while also reducing water， atmospheric， waste or noise pollution is the key goal of energy conservation companies， said Wang Huangrong， vice chairman of the Jiangsu Magnet Valley Energy Service Company， at the 2016 International Trade Fair for Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection held in Beijing on Oct. 12-14， 2016. Wang added that thanks to lower costs and greater convenience， solar energy， magnetic energy and even waste heat energy are currently industry favorites.

Magnetic technology as a source of environmentally friendly power production is not a new concept. Related devices such as permanent magnetic systems have been commonly used across a variety of economic sectors， including agricultural irrigation， highspeed rail and chemicals. However， Wang Huangrong sees the current technology as immature and in need of improvement.

Wang Huangrong’s first complaint is that temperatures rise fast as the magnetic generator system runs， making the system susceptible to damage. Second， it is fairly easy for the system to be disturbed or even stopped by particles and waves as it runs. Third， due to its requirement of a special environment for use， it is difficult to adapt the system to harsh working conditions such as flammable， dusty， damp， high-temperature or low-temperature environments.

After receiving such feedback from users， Wang Huangrong made changes to his company’s products. For example， his company designed a series of permanent， magnetic adjustable speed drives that can change most of the heat it generates into usable electrical power. Therefore， there is no need to provide extra equipment such as an air conditioner or water-cooling device to keep the environment cool enough for normal operation.

“This kind of generator is a winwin，” Wang Huangrong said. “On the one hand， it produces more energy； on the other hand， it helps us save money on both equipment and maintenance.”

For most of 2016， the Chinatech Talroad Technology Company， which is based in Beijing as a branch of the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Group（CECEP）， has focused on reusing waste. According to Zhao Jianping， a division manager at the company， there is no such thing as waste in real terms. The term “waste” refers to mis-placed resources.

“Everything can be useful. We are cooperating with leading companies in metallurgy， coal， oil and other areas to help them identify which kinds of materials give off surplus heat， gas and pressure，” Zhao said. “We provide tailored measures to help them gather and effectively reuse these waste products， incorporating them into industrial production. This helps them reduce pollution and even eliminate it altogether.”

Integrating Products into Daily Use

Enhancing energy efficiency is crucial， but implementing energy conservation products into people’s everyday lives is even more important， according to Zheng Shanshan， the manager of the marketing department at the Shanghai Triumph Energy Conservation Engineering Company.

“Ordinary people are the largest possible customer base， so we are hoping to integrate energy conservation technology into food， clothing， construction and travel，” Zheng said.

Currently， Zheng’s company is promoting a concept known as building-integrated photovoltaics （BIPV）. BIPV products use photovoltaic materials to replace conventional building materials in key parts of construction projects， including roofing and walls. BIPV was first introduced in the 1990s， around the same time that solar panels were first being used on building surfaces， allowing electricity to be generated.

“BIPV technology can not only reduce the energy consumption of a building， but it can also change the building from an energy consumer into an energy producer，” Zheng added. “By 2020， there will be more than 20，000 rooftop photovoltaic power stations in use， providing more than 1 million kilowatts of electricity.”

Wang Xingyu， an engineer at the State Grid Energy Conservation Design and Research Institute， said that using electrical power to replace coal-based home heating systems in rural areas is a priority.

At Hancunhe Village in Beijing’s Fangshan district， Wang Xingyu’s company helps villagers upgrade their homes from coal furnaces to electrical heat storage furnaces. Compared to traditional coal furnaces， electrical ones are safer and cause less pollution. Replacing coal furnaces helps to alleviate Beijing’s smog problems. According to the State Grid Energy Conservation Service， replacing coal furnaces could reduce Beijing’s carbon dioxide emissions by about 128 tons annually， and nitrogen oxide emissions could be reduced by more than 50 tons.

“Alternative energy-efficient technologies are quite promising and more easily accepted by local citizens， because they are both inexpensive and highly efficient，” Wang Xingyu said. In order to diversify such technology， his company now cooperates with companies from ASEAN countries. Recent research has included ways to generate electric power using palm shells.

“We believe that such technologies could not only bring benefits for remodelling and enlarging electric grids in ASEAN countries， but will also bring positive changes to people’s lives in tropical and subtropical areas of China，” Wang Xingyu said.