The environmental group Greenpeace on Monday urged China to use more wind power to cut down on severe pollution and to meet a surging demand for power in Guangdong -- one of the nation's most industrialized provinces.
HONG KONG — The environmental group Greenpeace on Monday urged China to use more wind power to cut down on severe pollution and to meet a surging demand for power in Guangdong -- one of the nation's most industrialized provinces.
"Guangdong has enormous wind resources," Robin Oakley, climate and energy campaign manager for Greenpeace, said as he released the results of a new study called "Wind Guangdong."
Greenpeace focused on Guangdong because the southern province is one of the biggest emitters of carbon dioxide, which scientists believe builds up in the atmosphere and traps heat like a greenhouse.
Factories in Guangdong have experienced power shortages in recent years. Many have resorted to using their own backup power plants that burn low-grade fuel that causes heavy pollution.
Much of the smog drifts across the border to Hong Kong, which is often blanketed by a thick haze.
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About 83 percent of China is powered by coal and less than 1 percent by wind, said Graham White of Garrad Hassan and Partners Ltd., an energy consultancy that did the research for Greenpeace.
Wind power in Guangdong could produce 20,000 megawatts of energy, or 17 percent of the province's current demand, the study said. About 10,000 turbines, or windmills, would be needed to produce this much energy, Oakley said.
Source: Associated Press
