China seen world leader in clean energy
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-09-29 07:09

Smog, soot and a thirst for oil: that's one image of China.

But the Asian colossus is also seen leading the way in the use of "green" energies as alternatives to fossil fuels, the head of a leading environmental watchdog said on Wednesday.

A wind power plant in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. [file]

"China is already big in renewables. In 5 years time we see them as a world leader in this department," Chistopher Flavin, president of the U.S.-based Worldwatch Institute, told Reuters on the sidelines of an energy conference in Johannesburg.

"Already, 35 million homes in China get their hot water from solar collectors. That is more than the rest of the world combined," he said.

Renewable energy is derived from sources that are continually replaced, unlike fossil fuels of which there is a finite supply. Most renewables are non-polluting.

"There are prospects for real take-offs in solar and wind power in China, and not just hot water for homes but in industry," said Flavin.

"State-owned industries and private companies there are investing heavily in renewables," he said.

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