Green trends drive tech boom

Emerging and high-tech industries are prospering as the world progresses toward a greener economy, and Central China's Hunan province is no exception.

Last year, Hunan experienced a crucial period of development for its strategic emerging industries like alternative energy, new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing. The revenue of these industries increased by 31 percent year-on-year.

In addition, the number of companies involved in new and advanced technology has grown in this favorable environment, and they now account for 33 percent of all companies with an annual income of more than 20 million yuan ($3.2 million).

These accomplishments have been made possible by heightened awareness of environmental protection among government leaders, who have been investing heavily in emerging sectors to create a model for development that is more eco-friendly and less resource intensive.

In 2007, the metro area of Hunan, covering three major cities - Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan - was made a national pilot for building an environmentally friendly society and reducing resource consumption, marking the start of official reform in Hunan.

"All of society, including government departments, firms and individuals, needs to put their hands to this plough to accomplish the goal," said Xu Shousheng, provincial governor of Hunan, adding that currently, about 109 measures, such as an emissions exchange, have been implemented as part of the reform.

One example of an eco-friendly project is a so-called green highway in Yiyang, a city in the reform pilot area.

The major road connecting it to Hunan's capital Changsha is lit by 320 pairs of lamps along a 11-kilometer stretch of road that are solar and wind powered.

These small street lamps make a big contribution to cutting air pollution. They reduce the annual emission of carbon dioxide by 340 tons and that of sulfur dioxide by 10 tons annually.

The annual amount of other air pollutants, such as dust, has decreased by 92 tons.

There are many more cases of smart use of renewable power to be found in Hunan, such as Xiangtan's rooftop photovoltaic power station, the largest in the world.

The tops of every building in a national economic and technological development zone in Xiangtan have been carpeted with solar power plates, transforming the zone into a small power station capable of generating 240 million kilowatt-hours every year, which is worth 12 million yuan based on the local rate of 0.5 yuan per kilowatt-hour.

According to the local power company, the average monthly electricity consumption of every family is about 200 kilowatt-hours, which means the power from the rooftop facility could supply about 10,000 families for a whole year.

In addition, new measures adopted by Changsha require all household garbage to be safely disposed of.

The series of policies and measures have had a deep and extensive impact on the lives of the public, who can now enjoy a greener and healthier environment.

fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/10/2012 page8)