Nextek In China To Hear About Clean Energy Opportunities

Nextek Director of the Digital Domains, Liang Downey, just returned from a trip to Beijing and Chongqing, China, where she met with local officials, key scientists and businesspeople who gave presentations on their science, technology and economic plans for IT, finance and energy efficiency and conservation in China. Liang visited China as a member of a Clean Environment Delegation, which was comprised of 39 Chinese-born high-tech professionals from nine countries including Japan, US, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Germany, France and England.

This group represented all areas of clean environment technology and business development and they spent time attending business roundtables and conferences where they heard from Chinese companies involved in hybrid vehicle production, solar-cell phones, lithium-ION battery development, LED systems and solar HID for street lighting.

Promoting the EMerge Alliance mission of the rapid adoption of a universal DC power standard in all commercial buildings, Liang participated in an online conference hosted by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology (BAST), where she fielded questions about the benefits of DC power including anticipated energy savings, ROI, system overall reliability and safety. Her EMerge presentation was video-recorded in the BAST online forum and is available to its thousands of members.

Like the US, China is wisely embracing energy efficiency and green technologies as it continues its rapid expansion. In fact, the US and China have agreed to a research partnership on energy efficient buildings and communities. This is a good thing, as building construction in China accounts for about half the new floor space built in the world each year, according to the DOE. Furthermore in the next 15 years, the country expects that it will build the equivalent of the United States' entire building stock. With massive growth like this, it is imperative that China seeks out the best, most efficient ways to build its cities and communities using renewable and sustainable resources.

China, and its rapid growth, represents an exciting opportunity for Nextek and we were pleased to be invited into their ongoing discussion about their plans for a more energy efficient future.

For more information about the US-China Clean Energy Research Center, visit www.energy.gov/news2009/7640.htm