Environment - Clean energy: Asia's catching up

The recent visit of Hilary Clinton to India with carbon emissions on the agenda has put the focus back on clean energies. Not just the policy makers and governments; consumers also have a role to play in reducing the amount of carbon thrown up in the environment.

The switch over to cleaner fuels and less energy-intensive appliances are some alternatives

President Obama has often described his push to fund "clean" energy technology as key to America's drive for international competitiveness as well as a way to combat climate change.

"There's no longer a question about whether the jobs and the industries of the 21st century will be centred around clean, renewable energy," he said on June 25. "The only question is: Which country will create these jobs and these industries? And I want that answer to be the United States of America."

But the leaders of India, South Korea, China and Japan may have different answers. Those Asian nations are pouring money into renewable energy industries, funding research and development and setting ambitious targets for renewable energy use. Even though developing nations refused to agree to an international ceiling for greenhouse gases last week, China and other Asian nations are already devoting more attention to cutting their use of traditional fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal.

China and India are kick-starting their solar industries. India aims to install 20 gigawatts of solar power by 2020, more than three times as much as the photovoltaic solar power installed by the entire world last year, the industry's best year ever. And China's new stimulus plan raises the nation's 2020 target for solar power from 1.8 gigawatts to 20 gigawatts. (A gigawatt is about what a new nuclear power plant might generate).

China is also expected to boost its long-term wind requirement to 150 gigawatts, up from the current 100 gigawatt target, by 2020, industry sources said. The big Asian research and investment initiatives come as U.S. policy makers boast about their own plans, giving ammunition to those who say this country needs to do more.

"We can cede the race for the 21st century, or we can embrace the reality that our competitors already have: The nation that leads the world in creating a new clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy," Obama said on June 29.

But countries in Asia are not standing still waiting for U.S. advances. That both excites and worries U.S. manufacturers torn between opportunity and fear of a boost for Asian competitors at a time when the world's biggest market, the United States, has slowed down sharply.

CFLs: checking on their quality

One way of saving energy and therefore contributing to arresting global warming is to buy products which consume least energy, and Compact fluorescent lamps are one such product.

Consumer VOICE tested 16 models of CFLs in 2009 to assess if the lamps really conformed to quality and performance standards. Overall, Indian CFLs are not a bad buy as a majority of the 16 models tested sailed through the important 2,000-hour life test. The lumen maintenance (or light output) of CFLs is also satisfactory.

To read more, see "In a new light" 16 CFL models tested", Consumer VOICE, June 2009

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