BP to Expand Solar Production in China
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 10.23.06
In response to growing demand for renewable energy in China, BP has announced plans to quadruple the current production capacity of its Xi’an based BP Sunoasis. The company, which has a current capacity of 25 MW, is a joint venture between BP and China’s leading solar system integrator, Sunoasis. BP will reportedly invest millions to expand capacity to 100 MW by the year 2010. As a minority (49%) owner, BP is making an effort to capitalize on the Chinese government's efforts to boost renewable energy use. China plans to increase domestic solar energy generation to 400 MW by 2010 and to 10,000 MW by 2020 from a base of 20 MW in 2005.
I know infrastructure takes money and time (lots more time) to build, but it always makes me nervous to see goals set so far away from now... especially in a country that needs environmental change as badly as China does.
Maybe I'm just overly cautious and too cynical, but I always get the feeling that by setting some goal four/five years in the future, the companies are just employing the easiest form of greenwashing - promising something great and hoping the public's attention span isn't sharp enough to notice when they don't fulfil it later on.
I'd be more curious to know what they have planned in the next year, next two years... and so on.
Elaine, not to defend BP, but it takes time to ramp up production. I doubt a major upgrade to capacity can be finished in just one year, or even two.