Welcome to the blog site for Clean Energy Expo Asia, a unique trading and knowledge-sharing platform for the clean energy industry in Asia Pacific. Join our online community where the leading players in the Technology, Services, Finance and Government sector address key issues in the area of renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable development in the Asia Pacific region.

2 November 2010 – eco-business.com

Leading automobile manufacturers yesterday urged governments to play a crucial role in revving the electric vehicle (EV) revolution set to grip cities across the world.

They are calling for monetary incentives or tax breaks to be given to consumers in order to encourage the adoption of EVs.

When EVs become commonplace, incentives can then be dropped – but costs of EV would have decreased by then to become more affordable, experts said yesterday at a panel discussion on sustainable mobility at the Clean Energy Expo Asia.

EVs, which run on electricity, are considered to be more environmentally-friendly than conventional cars that guzzle fossil fuels as its greenhouse gas emissions are lower and it addresses the issue of over-dependence on fossil fuels.

Consultancy firm McKinsey Co associate principal Rohit Razdan said it seemed the consensus amongst industry leaders was that the EV revolution was a matter of “when” not “if”.

He said EVs will penetrate at least 10 per cent of the global transport sector in the next 10 years. There are many challenges, however, such as consumer acceptance and building the infrastructure solutions for EVs, he added. Read more…

2 November 2010 – eco-business.com

Asia must embrace clean energy for the sake of its own security, said an Asian Development Bank official on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Clean Energy Expo Asia 2010, ADB’s WooChong Um told the audience that the growth of Asian economies has led to an equally large increase in energy demand which is being met through the use of fossil fuels.

This, in turn, has increased the dependence of the region on oil – the market for which has historically been shown to be unstable, especially as global reserves of fossil fuels dwindle. More dangerously, high oil prices have been shown to significantly impact economic growth.

“Clearly, over-reliance on fossil fuels places Asia in a very precarious situation with regards to energy security,” said Mr Um, who is deputy director of the ADB’s Regional and Sustainable Development Department.

Asia’s demand for fossil fuels have also made it a major contributor to climate change. The region’s current carbon dioxide emissions make up 30 percent of global carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions. This means that even if the developed world achieves an 80 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases will not reduce or even stabilize unless the Asian economies make a concerted effort to reduce their own emissions, said Mr Um. Read more…

Green Investing - 21 October 2010

Several significant trends emerged from the Global Cleantech 100 list released this week by the Cleantech Group.

The Smart Grid sector has become hot for corporate partnerships. This is highlighted by the #1 ranking for smart grid software firm Silver Spring Networks, which is collaborating with some of the biggest utilities and hardware makers in the U.S. and abroad.

Across the board, corporations are becoming ever more active in global cleantech innovation-as investors, partners, licensees, customers, and acquirers of smart grid and other cleantech companies. Google, GE, IBM, PG&E, and Siemens, are the most active partners with 2010 Global Cleantech 100 companies.

Another trend is the increasing influence of Asia on the cleantech industry. The region is no longer considered a low manufacturing center, or an end market for technology deployment. China has 3 companies in the 2010 Global Cleantech 100; it had none last year.

Over 200 investing entities, from more than 20 countries, have a shareholding in the 100 companies. VantagePoint Venture Partners is the most prolific shareholder of 2010 Global Cleantech 100 companies, a testament to its longevity in the space. It has 13 investee companies on the list, overtaking Kleiner Perkins by one.

Other companies on the list include Amonix, Bloom Energy, Coulomb Technologies, Cpower, Enphase Energy, Ice Energy, Petra Solar, Tendril Networks and Xtreme Power. (Click for full list)

The Cleantech Group says the selected companies are the most likely to make the significant market impact over the next 5-10 years.

To qualify for the list, companies must be independent, for-profit and cleantech companies that are not listed on any major stock exchange.

“The second Global Cleantech 100 shines a spotlight on which companies and which technology areas the global innovation community is currently most excited about, from a commercial standpoint,” said Richard Youngman, managing director, Europe & vice president, Global Research at Cleantech Group. “There have been significant changes since 2009: more Asian companies and less renewable energy generation companies attest to the growing diversification of cleantech innovation. Cleantech is a broader phenomenon than just clean energy. The wider issues of resource scarcity are starting to gain attention and traction.” Read more…

AltTransport - 19 October 2010

With billions of dollars from the Obama administration, the US car industry has been trying to compete with Asia on electric vehicles.

Now China’s Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang told Xinhuanet News that China will produce 1 million EVs by 2020.

Given that exhaust emissions accounted for 70 percent of air pollution in big cities of China, Wan Gang said that EVs were necessary for the world’s largest car market.

The government also plans to further promote public transportation.

Twenty-five Chinese cities have jointed a pilot program co-sponsored in 2009 by Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, National Development and Reform Commission, and Ministry of Industry and Information, and the project will replace all public transportation vehicles with EVs.

The country has already seen $1.28 billion invested towards the project since its debut in 2009.

China sold 13.6 million vehicles last year.

And compare to the U.S., sales in China were up almost 48 percent in the first half of 2010, with over 9 million units sold. Read more…

CleanTechnica – 15 October 2010

Renewable energy and energy efficiency will be focus of India’s $2.3 trillion energy investment plan over the next two decades. The plan is aimed at achieving consistently high economic growth rates without having any net adverse impact in the environment.

While the exact proportion of the investment for renewable energy is not known yet, the countries planners have clean energy sources like solar, wind and hydro power in focus as the foundations of the new green economy. India’s National Solar Mission is already underway. India plans to install 20,000 MW of solar PV and solar thermal power plants across the country by 2022. The proposals for the first 1000 MW projects to be completed by 2013 have already been approved. Read more…

Bloomberg – 13 October 2010

South Korea, Asia’s fourth-biggest polluter, said the government and private sector aim to invest 40 trillion won ($36 billion) by 2015 in renewable energy to gain from growing demand and cut reliance on fossil fuels.

The government will spend 7 trillion won and private companies may invest 33 trillion won during the next five years, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which overseas South Korea’s energy policies, said in an e-mailed statement today.

The spending plan includes the 22.4 trillion won that the presidential office said in July the nation’s 30 largest industrial groups will invest in alternative energy by 2013. Read more…