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Sino-US talks turning to action

By Si Tingting (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-09 07:49

Some monocrystalline sillicon solar cells are seen on roofs of local residents houses in Yichang, Hubei province. For the climate improvement, China will use as much clean energy as possible and curb the use of fossil fuels with the help of overseas technology. CFP

China and the US have called for strong cooperative efforts on energy efficiency since the two countries inked the milestone US-China Ten Year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework in Washington last June. But energy and environment officials from both sides talked more about "should-dos" instead of "to-dos" in the discussions following the deal.

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The countries finally made some detailed commitments at a forum on "Developing Effective Mechanisms for Energy Efficiency Implementation in China" on Feb 26 in Beijing, focusing mostly on commercializing energy efficient technologies.

Such technologies offer a lot of room for the US and China to cooperate, said Jon Wellinghoff, acting chairman of US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, at the forum.

His Chinese counterpart, Liu Qi, the deputy director of National Energy Administration, said the two countries can also find common ground in the alternative energy sector.

China and the US are the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases and together consume one third of its energy.

Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy, sent a message to the forum, urging the US to work closely with China, India, and other nations to fundamentally transform the way they use and produce energy. He stressed working together on energy efficiency, developing renewable energy resources and carbon capture and storage.

Efficiency programs in the US could reduce energy demand there by 20 percent over the next 20 years, according to a US report. If China replaces 20 percent of the new coal-fired capacity it adds each year with Efficiency Power Plants (EPPs) it can meet demand growth at one-third the cost and at the same time save 51 million tons of coal each year and reduce annual CO2 and SO2 emissions by 140 million and 1.1 million tons respectively.

"China has ability beyond the US to scale up manufacturing in an environmentally-sound way as long as the US helps China develop the requisite technology," said Wellinghoff, "We can become trade partners in that regard and move energy efficient technology from the US to China," he added.

China has a number of renewable energy regulations he said the US might adopt if they prove successful in China, he said.

"We are looking at energy pricing structure in US as well as our electric market, and China has some interesting policies that deal with the issue," he said.

Officials from both countries pledged to take concrete measures instead of just talking, at the forum.

"There will be more actual contracts between the two governments in this regard under the new Obama administration," said Wellinghoff.

An economic stimulus package proposed in January by the Obama administration included $150 billion to develop next-generation biofuels, plug-in hybrid vehicles, a new digital electrical grid and lower-emission coal plants.

The two countries initiated a three-year energy efficiency training program at the forum. China's National Development and Reform Committee and the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council will create a website as a platform for information sharing.