In The Land of Solar Water Heaters
I was in Yunnan last week visiting lead-zinc mining country. Anyone who has been to Kunming knows that it is the land of rooftop solar water heaters. Here was the view from my hotel:
For about 1500 yuan (a bit over US$200), people can get free hot water. Unless you like giving away your money, there is no reason one would not buy one of these in Kunming. One of my colleagues, a Kunming native, can vouch for this. Her family purchased solar water heaters simply because it was the cheaper way to get hot water. According to another report, water heating accounted for 26% of building energy use in China; the adoption of relatively inexpensive solar water heaters thus offers an opportunity to drastically cut back on energy consumption in China.
Geoff Lewis, a Fulbright researcher in China this year, has posted a nice blog entry on solar water heaters. The number of solar water heaters in use is growing at a 15-20% annual rate in China, and over 10% of all Chinese households nationwide have embraced this technology. A Worldwatch report says that 50% of Kunming’s 5 million residents have solar water heaters installed. In turn, the huge demand for heaters also creates jobs, generating over $3 billion in annual revenue and employing 600,000 workers.
Solar water heaters lack photovoltaic cells; rather, they use a collection of glass and metal tubes to absorb solar radiation and heat the water. While China’s installed solar PV (photovoltaic) capacity lags behind those in Western countries, these solar water heaters represent a growth trend that deserves more recognition. It appears though that the secret is out, however. Goldman Sachs and others invested US$100 million in Himin Solar Energy Group, a major manufacturer of solar water heaters, at the end of 2008. Himin predicts sales growth in 2009 of 50 to 100 percent. Expect to see many, many more of these contraptions in China.
Also take a look at Barbara Finamore’s post last week on China’s latest moves to subsidize China’s solar industry.
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That is a great article. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for your support, Sandy. Much appreciated.