World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

September 10, 2006 – Vol.11 No.25

WORLD WIND WATCH.

China needs energy for continued economic growth and it isn’t fussy about where it gets it. Nor is China wedded to conventional fossil fuels, though it is consuming plenty, by the looks. The country seems just as happy building wind or hydro capacity as it does building coal plants or importing fuels from beyond its borders. (The country might also see the rut the US has gotten itself into with oil and not want to follow down that muddy path.)

China too, although not a Kyoto signer, can and is getting involved in carbon dioxide emissions reductions.

Through the Joint Application Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) contained in the Kyoto Treaty, Spanish power company and wind developer Endesa has announced it will buy 2.7 million tons of CO2 emission rights from three wind farms and one small hydro project in China. In the agreement Endesa will purchase all of the emission rights from these four sites from 2006 to 2012.

Overall Endesa has a target through its own Climate Initiative to purchase 15 million tons of CO2 emissions rights through to 2012. At its own facilities the company has cut CO2 emissions by 27.5 percent between 1990 and 2004, while doubling their generation output during the same period. Endesa further expects to reduce its CO2 emissions by 35 percent in 2007 compared to 1990.