Information Folder
1
A. Scramble for energy
Information Sheet 1
Crude oil, natural gas and coal reserves in each
continent/region in 2008
Crude oil
(billion barrels)
Natural gas
(billion cubic meters)
Coal mines
(million short tons)
North America
209
8,976
269,343
Central, South America
110
7,419
13,788
Europe & Eurasia
113
61,929
335,567
Middle East
748
72,180
1,326
Africa
115
13,875
34,935
Asia & Oceania
34
11,751
293,042
1,330
176,102
948,000
Continent / Region
World
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Information Sheet 2
Energy production and consumption of more developed
and less developed countries in 2008
Gross domestic
product per capita
(US dollar)
Production of energy
(Quadrillion Btu1)
Energy consumption
(Quadrillion Btu)
China
2574
79.1
85.1
France
39449
5.1
11.3
Germany
38774
5.0
14.4
Indonesia
1950
10
5.8
Iran
3340
13.4
8.1
Italy
35456
1.2
7.9
Japan
34865
3.8
21.9
Mexico
8956
9.2
7.3
Russia
9508
54.1
30.4
Saudi Arabia
15154
25.2
6.7
Singapore
34461
0
2.4
USA
47160
73.4
100.6
Country
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration and International Monetary Fund
1
Btu stands for British Thermal Units
2
Information Sheet 3
Newspaper cutting about the scramble for energy
Arctic nations seek to scramble for the Arctic’s oil and gas fields
The arctic region is rich in oil and natural gas. According to the investigation by the United States
Geological Survey in 2009, the oil reserve there is 13% of the world’s unexplored crude oil, and
natural gas accounts for 30% of the world total. Since the oil and gas fields have never been
explored, so its economic value can hardly be estimated. Nations around the Arctic Circle such as
Canada, Russia, USA and Denmark have investigated around the region to find proofs of
territorial sovereignty so as to facilitate the exploration of oil and natural gas in that region. It has
been reported that USA and Russia have signed the Agreement of Strategic Cooperation to
explore the rich oil and gas resources within the territory of the Russian water. This act will
launch the scramble for crude oil in the Arctic.
Scramble for oil in South China Sea brought tense Sino-Vietnamese relation
The South China Sea is crowned as “the second Persian Gulf” because of its rich oil reserves. It is
estimated that its oil reserve is about 23 billion tons, which means superb economic value.
Vietnam gained a lot of profits by extracting oil in the controversial waters but China also claims
having the sovereignty of that region. She is discontented with Vietnam because she makes profit
by extracting oil there.
NATO Nations take actions while Libya is still unstable
Libya possesses the largest oil and natural gas resources in Africa on which the NATO countries
have preyed for a long time. To get a share of the oil and gas resources in this country, energy
companies of France, Italy, Germany and USA started discussing with the “National Transitional
Council” of Libya on the immediate revival of oil exploration or assistance given in
reconstruction, hoping to get the priorities in oil exploration when the new Libyan government
can get hold of the country.
3
Scramble for crude oil affects the economy seriously
Scramble for crude oil is not just the scramble for energy resources but will also affect the
economic development of the regions and the whole world. The first Oil Crisis was a result from
the Middle East War which broke out in 1973. It happened when the Arab League members of
the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) used oil as weapon to take
revenge on and attack the Israel supporters by raising the oil price drastically, causing the most
serious global economic crisis after the Second World War. At the end of 1978, there were big
changes in the political realm of Iran (the second largest petroleum exporting country in the
world) which affected the production of crude oil and led to the second Oil Crisis. It also led to
problems such as all rounded economic recession in the West, energy shortage, surging
commodity prices, inflation and the like, attacking the economy of the whole world.
Scramble for energy becomes an uncertain factor of the world’s economy
As oil and gas resources are limited, the prices are increasing. Most countries with rich oil and
gas resources like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela gain great profit from the surging
prices of crude oil. Their international status and influence was raised. In order to use energy
resources as the chips for international struggle, some oil producing countries have strengthened
their control over the oil resources within their nations. They sold petroleum by “bidding” the
price, hoping to get large amounts of profit from it.
References:
Websites:
1. International Monetary Fund, IMF
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
2. U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA
http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm
3. 「各國加劇能源爭奪國際油價大幅震盪」，SJL
http://www.sjlbearing.com/gongsi-xinwen/geguojiajunenyuanzhengduoguojiyoujiadafuzhend
ang-281977.html
News:
1. 〈北極報告加劇石油爭奪〉，《香港商報》，二零零九年五月三十日。
2. 〈利石油爭奪 法意或成大贏家〉，《大公報》，二零一一年八月二十七日。
3. 〈美國地球淨土掀資源戰 美俄北極聯手採油〉，《星洲日報》，二零一一年九月二日。
4. 〈中越因南海石油起爭端〉，《明報新聞網》，二零一一年六月二十日。
5.
http://specials.mingpao.com/cfm/News.cfm?SpecialsID=244&Page=1&News=90fe56b3286f
639150eea791a96a43d21420e5a58d4d627a9ca403
〈沈國放談當前國際經濟:能源爭奪成最大不確定因素〉
，
《新華網》，二零零七年十一月
4
二十七日。
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2007-11/27/content_715161
6.
1.htm
〈爭奪石油利益 南海風雲再起〉
，
《新台灣新聞週刊第 648 期》
，二零零八年八月二十一
日。
7.
http://www.newtaiwan.com.tw/bulletinview.jsp?bulletinid=84127
〈南海石油相當第二個波斯灣〉，《新浪香港》，二零一零年十月三日。
8.
http://news.sina.com.hk/news/32/1/1/1873863/1.html
〈能源爭奪戰 大國間的角力〉，《聯合早報》，二零零四年十月十一日。
http://www.zaobao.com/special/china/general/letter111004a.html
5
B. Current energy problems
Information Sheet 4
Newspaper cuttings
consumption of people in Hong Kong
about
the
high
electricity
Shocking electricity consumption by excessive use of air-conditioner by people in Hong Kong
According to the survey conducted by Green Sense on “climate change and habit of using
electricity”, there was a concern over the over-use and over-reliance of air-conditioning by Hong
Kong people. The survey reported that 73% of the interviewees stayed in an air-conditioned
environment for an average of 18 hours or more from Monday to Friday. Nearly 20% of the
interviewees even stayed in an air-conditioned environment for the whole day without leaving.
The survey also found that 55% of the interviewees needed air-conditioning to sleep every night
(take the conditions of the first week of September 2011 as example). This showed that Hong
Kong people heavily relied on air-conditioning. As they always use air-conditioning, the
household electricity bill is rather expensive. Over 50% of the interviewees paid $500 or more for
electricity in their last bill and about 20% even paid as much as a thousand dollars.
6
Information Sheet 5
Fossil fuels and global warming
Using fossil fuels intensify global warming and even acidifies the oceans
There is an increasing use of fossil fuels in recent years. Electricity generation and heating
consume a large amount of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are becoming a major source of energy
resources.
Burning fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil produces large amount of greenhouse gases
like carbon dioxide (refer to Figure 1 and 2). The figures showed that the world’s fossil fuel
consumption was increasing, leading to a rapid increase in the amount of emission of carbon
dioxide.
Figure 1: Global consumption of fossil fuels
(1980-2009)
Figure 2 : Global carbon dioxide
emission (1980-2009)
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
The rising emission of carbon dioxide intensifies global warming. The Earth has accumulated
more heat energy and the increase in surface temperature of the Earth leads to global warming. As
a result, the ice of the two poles melts, sea water level is raised and extreme weather conditions
occur more frequently.
As indicated in recent reports, increasing use of fossil fuels not only leads to climate change
but also acidification of oceans. As indicated in the report published in December 2012 by the
United Nations Environment Programme, the degree of oceans acidification has increased by 30%
after the Industrial Revolution. Ocean acidification affects the growth of bones of coral reefs and
crustaceans. The growth of corals needs the solidification of carbonate in the ocean but oceans
acidification will make the process of solidifying carbonate difficult, posing pressure on the
survival of corals and intensifying the phenomenon of coral bleaching. Experts said that in 2030,
the corals in the Great Barrier Reef will become extinct.
7
Information Sheet 6
Fossil fuels and acid rain
The acid rain problem in Zhujiang Delta is still serious
According to the data of the past 5-year regular monitoring in Zhujiang Delta, the acid rain
problem in the area was still serious. It was reported that the main causes of acid rain included
the emission from industrial production and gas emission from public transport. The main
pollutants causing acid rain are sulfur oxide (SO) and nitrogen oxide (NO) which are the results
of burning fossil fuels. When these acidic gases meet the water vapour in the air, droplets of
sulfuric acid and nitric acid are formed, lowering the pH value of rain and forms acid rain.
Although the daily average value of pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide
found in the air of cities in Zhujiang Delta met Grade II of the national standard, and the overall
amount of pollutants in most cities including Guangzhou and Shenzhen showed a descending
tendency, the problem of acid rain have not been improved. These areas still belonged to serious
acid rain zones. This showed that the standard for waste disposal needed to be further tightened
and solutions pinpointing on the pollution source of acid rain should be devised.
Besides, the frequency of acid rain in Guangdong province was increasing as shown in an
investigation done in 2008. It was estimated that denitration has not been done by power plant
and the intensification of pollution by motor vehicles have caused an increasing emission of
nitrogen oxide. If the situation cannot be improved, different levels of harmful effects will
continue, including forest degradation, lake acidification which causes death of fish and
reduction in aquatic organism species, and acidification of soil in farmland leading to drastic
reduction in the production of food crops, etc. Acid rain will also erode and destroy buildings,
bridges and historic monuments, bringing immense economic loss.
8
Information Sheet 7
Fossil fuels and air pollution
Low visibility may be fatal
As indicated by many reports, there is a close relationship between visibility and the
concentration of suspended particulates in the air. Suspended particulates come mainly from car
emissions and the burning of fossil fuels in the Zhujiang Delta region; both are the chief causes
of air pollution and low visibility. According to the data analysis from monitoring stations, the
air pollution in Hong Kong was serious which led to a relatively low visibility. Between 2007
and 2010, the average visibility of Hong Kong was only 12.6 km. Compared with other big
cities (the average visibility of Shanghai was 17.1 km, cities like London, New York and
Vancouver had a visibility of 20 to 25 km), the visibility problem in Hong Kong is quite
serious.
According to a research conducted by the University of Hong Kong, if the visibility is
lowered by 6.5 km each day, the cumulative number of natural deaths will therefore be
increased by 450. Based on the standard of visibility of 30 km, the medical school of the
University of Hong Kong made an analysis on 360 thousand death cases between 1996 and
2006 and found that low visibility would lead to cardiovascular diseases or respiratory system
diseases, causing an increased number of deaths.
9
Information Sheet 8
Fossil fuels and the damage to the ecology
Pollution due to coal mining leads to vast destruction
China relies heavily on coal as the main source of energy. According to the data in 2008,
the consumption of coal in China was 68.7% of its total energy consumption, which was higher
than the coal consumption of global energy structure by nearly 30%. Coal is relatively cheaper
but its energy efficiency rate is relatively lower, no higher than 45% at most. Moreover, large
areas of farmland are converted into land for building roads, rails and piers for transporting
coal. Much energy is also used during transportation. In addition, generating electricity by
burning coal needs to pay high prices in terms of the environment, ecology and health. Coal is
the greatest source of greenhouse gases emission like carbon dioxide. These greenhouse gases
and coal dust can induce direct harmful effects to the health of citizens and the ecology. Coal
mining will reduce the groundwater level and cause ground subsidence. As the demand for coal
is great in China, uncontrolled coal mining is serious which leads to the drying-up of rivers, the
withering of trees, collapse of mountains and the pollution of the environment. Coal mining has
also brought serious impact on vegetations, ecological environment and biodiversity. Soil
erosion and ecological degradation are also serious in the coal mining areas.
Oil spill in the Mexican Gulf seriously affects the ecology
On 20th April, 2010, a serious explosion occurred in the “Deepwater Horizon” oil rig
situated outside the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana of the United States. The
spilled crude oil caused extremely serious ecological crisis. Ecologists pointed out that the
ocean currents would push the crude oil to the coastline, destroying shrimps breeding and
oyster farms, and threatening the lives of 656 kinds of animals directly. The leaked oil would
also affect the coastal ecology of the Atlantic Ocean in America. The Fish and Wildlife Service
of Louisiana estimated that the crude oil floating on the surface of the ocean threatened 445
kinds of fish, 134 kinds of birds, 45 kinds of mammals and 32 kinds of reptiles and amphibians.
Pelicans, the state bird of Louisiana, might accumulate toxin in their bodies through feeding on
small fish contaminated by the oil leakage. More seriously, the crude oil might suffocate the
birds by wrapping up their feathers. Besides, oil leakage would cause the death of marine
animals, pollution of beaches, and the fishery to lose tens of billion US dollars.
10
Information Sheet 9
Production of global fuel wood
Table 1: Cumulative Production of Global Fuel Wood (1990 and 2010)
Region
1990
(million cubic
metre)
2010
(million cubic
metre)
Percentage
change
Africa
440
602
+36.8%
North America
88
43
-51.1%
Central America & Caribbean
74
85
+14.9%
South America
161
198
+30.0%
Asia
897
771
-14.0%
Europe
157
150
-4.5%
Oceania
8
11
+37.5%
Global
1,826
1,860
+1.9%
Figure 3: Lumbering in different parts of Africa
11
Figure 4: Forest cover changes in Africa, 2000-2005
Figure 5: Types of vegetation cover in Africa
12
Figure 6: World cumulative production of fuel wood in 1990
Figure 7: World cumulative production of fuel wood in 2010
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
13
Information Sheet 10
The consumption of fuel wood in African regions
The forest resources in Africa
According to the report published in 2007 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, the forest area of Africa was about 635 million hectares in 2005 and was 16% of
the global forest area. Between 2000 and 2005, the net forest depletion of Africa was 4 million
hectares, its depletion rate was 55% of the global depletion (refer to Table 2).
Table 2
Forest resources and depletion of each region in Africa
Area (thousand hectares)
Annual rate of change (%)
1990
2000
2005
2000-2005
Central Africa
248,538
239,433
236,070
-0.28
East Africa
88,974
80,965
77,109
-0.97
North Africa
84,790
79,526
76,805
-0.69
South Africa
188,402
176,884
171,116
-0.66
West Africa
88,656
78,805
74,312
-1.17
Africa
699,361
655,613
635,412
-0.62
Global
4,077,291
3,988,610
3,952,025
-0.18
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation, 2007
Reliance on Fuel Wood
Most countries in Africa are less developed and to a large extent rely heavily on fuel wood
for cooking and heating. According to the report conducted by the United Nations in 2007, it was
estimated that nearly 90% of the African population used fuel wood as the main energy. In regions
south of the Sahara, fuel wood accounted for about 52% of the total energy resource consumed. It
was estimated that until 2030, the consumption of fuel wood for generating electricity will be
three times of the current consumption. The main cause of this trend was the increase in price of
fossil fuels. They can neither afford to import fossil fuels as the chief energy resource nor can they
have enough capital to develop other resources. Furthermore, the African population has been
increasing. They can only cut more trees to satisfy this increasing demand.
Deforestation increases the amount of carbon dioxide
Data showed that there was about 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted to the
atmosphere due to deforestation, which was 25-30% of the total carbon dioxide emission. Former
USA Vice-President Gore also pointed out in his writing that about 30% of carbon dioxide was
derived from the burning of fuel wood and the burning of forest land for farming annually. Among
all other countries, Africa has a significant percentage in reliance on fuel wood.
14
The case of African regions
Tanzania




About 90% of primary energy consumption is biomass energy.
All the fuel wood comes mainly from the forest of the country, 90% of which are log and
firewood.
Reasons for deforestation: about 70% is used for fuel wood, and the remaining 30% is for
providing land for farming.
Between 1990 and 2005, 14.9% of the forest area (6,184,000 hectares) was lost, seriously
destroying the habitats of the living things.
Ghana





About 69% of the residents in the city use charcoal for cooking and heating.
The prices of coal and oil are more expensive and most of the city dwellers cannot afford the
high fuel expenses. So they can only use fuel wood.
It is estimated that about 91% of log production is mainly for producing fuel wood and
charcoal.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the annual
average charcoal consumption per person of Ghana is 180 kg and the annual total
consumption is 700,000 tones. The rich forest resources are disappearing.
Some international organizations estimate that if Ghana continues its reliance on fuel wood
as the chief source of energy, desertification will occur.
References
Website:
1. ‘Deforestation: The leading cause of CO2 Emissions’, Applied Information Systems, 13th June
2010
http://www.appinsys.com/globalwarming/deforestation.htm
2. ‘Ghana losing its forests to firewood leaves many worried’, Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Africa, 12th April 2011
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/ghana-losing-its-forests-firewood-leaves-many-worried
3.
4.
5.
6.
‘State of the World Forest 2007’, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, UNFAO
2007
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0773e/a0773e02.pdf
Green Sense
http://noaircon2011.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post.html
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, UNFAO
http://faostat.fao.org/site/626/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=626#ancor
U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA
http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm
15
7.
中國科普博覽：酸雨專題館
http://www.kepu.net.cn/gb/earth/acidrain/control/index.html
News:
1. 〈7. 73%港人日歎冷氣 18 個鐘〉，《香港商報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
2. 〈山西煤礦〉，《澳門日報》，二零一零年四月十二日。
3. 〈用電收費應多用者多付〉，《新報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
4. 〈全球變暖 珊瑚告急〉，《成都日報》，二零一一年六月十二日。
5. 〈灰霾細顆粒極 易在肺泡沉積〉，《南方都市報》，二零零九年十一月二十一日。
6. 〈能見度低會死人平均僅 12.6 公里每年 1200 人死亡〉
，
《蘋果日報》
，二零一一年一月二
十日。
7. 〈減少倚賴煤 是中共的考驗〉，《明報》，二零一一年二月十四日。
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
〈港人長開冷氣環團籲齊關機〉，《太陽報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
〈逾半港人晚晚冷氣伴眠〉，《文匯報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
〈團體促少開冷氣 鼓勵市民節能〉，《成報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
〈墨灣漏油 生態浩劫〉，《大公報》，二零一零年五月九日。
〈近五年監測數據表明 珠三角區域酸雨污染依然重〉
，
《中國新聞網》
，二零一零年二月
九日。
http://env.people.com.cn/BIG5/10953981.html
13. 〈城市化人口轉移對能源和碳排放的衝擊〉，《中國評論月刊網絡版》，二零一零年十月
十二日。
http://www.chinareviewagency.net/crn-webapp/mag/docDetail.jsp?coluid=31&docid=101472
061&page=2
14. 〈廣東全省一半降雨為酸雨 珠三角仍是重酸雨區〉，《廣州日報》，二零零八年九月四
日。
http://env.people.com.cn/BIG5/7786268.html
16
C. Renewable energy and nuclear power
Information Sheet 11
Data of the global renewable energy
Figure 1: Percentage of different sources of
global electricity generation in 2009
Figure 2: Percentage of different kinds of
renewable energy of the world in 2009
Source: Regional Environmental Centre
Table 1: World’s top ten wind energy generating countries (based on total installed capacities up to
2008)
Total
installed
capacities
(MW)
Rank
Country
Total installed
capacities (MW)
Rank
Country
1
USA
25,170
6
Italy
3,736
2
Germany
23,903
7
France
3,404
3
Spain
16,754
8
The UK
3,241
4
China
12,210
9
Denmark
3,180
5
India
9,645
10
Portugal
2,862
Source: Global Wind Energy Council
17
Table 2: World’s top ten geothermal energy generating countries (based on total installed
capacities up to 2010)
Rank
Country
Total installed
capacities
(MW)
1
USA
3,093
6
New Zealand
628
2
The Philippines
1,904
7
Iceland
575
3
Indonesia
1,197
8
Japan
536
4
Mexico
958
9
El Salvador
204
5
Italy
843
10
Kenya
167
Rank
Country
Total installed
capacities (MW)
Source: International Geothermal Association
Table 3: World’s top ten biofuel producing countries (up to 2009)
Rank
Country
1
USA
2
Fuel
ethanol
Biodiesel
Fuel
ethanol
Biodiesel
(Billion
Liter)
Rank
Country
41.0
2.1
6
Argentina
~0
1.4
Brazil
26.0
1.6
7
Canada
1.1
0.1
3
France
0.9
2.6
8
Spain
0.4
0.6
4
Germany
0.8
2.6
8
Thailand
0.4
0.6
5
China
2.1
0.4
10
Britain
0.2
0.5
(Billion
Liter)
(Billion
Liter)
(Billion
Liter)
Source: Regional Environmental Centre
Figure 3: Solid biomass consumption in 2003
18
Table 4: World’s top ten hydro-electric power generating countries (based on the total installed
capacities up to 2008)
Rank
Country
Total installed
capacities (MW)
Rank
Country
Total installed
capacities (MW)
1
China
171,000
6
India
37,825
2
Brazil
77,507
7
Norway
29,490
3
USA
77,483
8
Japan
27,910
4
Canada
73,436
9
France
20,981
5
Russia
49,700
10
Italy
17,623
Source: World Energy Council
Table 5: World’s top ten solar energy power generating countries (based on total installed
capacities up to 2008)
Total installed
Total installed
Rank
Country
capacities
(MWp)
Rank
Country
capacities
(MWp)
1
Germany
5,877.0
6
South Korea
357.5
2
Spain
3,354.0
7
France
179.7
3
Japan
2,144.2
8
India
160.0
4
USA
1,168.5
9
China
130.0
5
Italy
431.6
10
Australia
104.5
Source: World Energy Council
19
Information Sheet 12
energy
Newspaper cuttings on the advantage of using renewable
Denmark seeks to develop biofuel to reduce carbon discharge
According to some news reports, the Government of Denmark has planned to reduce the
use of coal for generating electricity in 5 big cities (Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and
Esbjerg). The planning included changing the technology of the power stations so that it can use
biofuel to generate electricity, hoping to reduce or even eliminate the burning of coal for power.
If this plan is successfully implemented, it is estimated that the coal consumption will be
reduced by 25% in Denmark while the emission of carbon dioxide will be reduced by 3 to 5%.
The new world’s largest wind farm in the UK
The world’s largest offshore wind farm is currently situated at the North Sea region of the
southeastern part of the United Kingdom. The power station was set up in 2010 and was named
London Array Offshore Wind Farm. With a total construction cost of 1.5 billion British pounds,
it is one of the masterpieces of wind power actively developed by the UK in recent years. It is
estimated that the power generated by the wind farm is sufficient for supplying a million
families and 1.9 million tons of carbon dioxide emission can be reduced. The production of this
environmental-friendly energy resource can play a part in alleviating global warming.
Gas expenses reduced by Solar-powered Air-conditioning System for Vehicles
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Green Power Industrial Ltd have
successfully developed the solar-powered air-conditioning system. Solar panels can be installed
on the top part of any type of private car, truck, taxi and minibus. They will collect solar energy
while the car is moving and transform the energy into electricity which is stored in the battery
system, providing electricity to the air-conditioning system. The battery needs to absorb solar
energy for 6-7 hours each time to provide electricity for 2-3 hours continuously. Vehicles can
also go on using the stored solar energy to provide air-conditioning for about 3 hours after the
engine is stopped, effectively reducing gas consumption. Professor Eric Cheng, director of the
Power Electronics Research Centre indicated that the technology could reduce gas consumption
by vehicles by 10 to 40%. Taking the minibus as an example, it can save 27% of gas
consumption and reduce 4 tons of carbon dioxide emission from per vehicle per year.
20
Taiwan tries to develop geothermal energy
Companies specialized in geothermal exploration and manufacturing geothermal generator
claimed that Taiwan had potentials for developing geothermal power. Taiwan government and
research units are trying to explore stable geothermal resources in order to develop geothermal
power generation. Professor Song Sheng Rong of the Department of Geosciences in National
Taiwan University took part in a project run by the National Science Council to plan and explore
the geothermal energy in Taiwan. Since the geothermal reserve in Ilan is more than the previous
estimation by geologists, therefore Professor Song reckoned that Taiwan had great potentials for
developing geothermal energy. Professor Song indicated that the cooling speed of heat energy
underground was calculated on a basis of ten thousand years. If Taiwan can build a geothermal
power station successfully, the power station can operate for 30 years or more because the supply
of geothermal energy is unlimited.
Shandong developed wave energy A new trend in the development of energy resources
In order to implement one of the important projects of the “Top Ten Infrastructural Facilities
in Shandong”, a wave power generation plant has been built in Rizhao City. Person in charge of
the Science and Technology Bureau of Rizhao City indicated that wave power was one kind of
oceanic energy resources. The other kinds of oceanic energy resources include tidal wave etc.
He continued to say that this kind of energy was clean, renewable and in harmony with the
ecological environment. So it is a kind of sustainable energy. Rizhao City is situated at the
southeast coast of Shandong province, with the Yellow Sea on its east. Its coastline is more than
160 km. Besides, the coastline is flat and straight, and is facing the ocean. So the city is
privileged in developing wave power generation in view of its rich reserves in tidal waves, sea
waves and ocean currents.
Vancouver became a green city
Vancouver ranked first among the Canadian green cities and second in USA in the green
city index of the United States and Canada in 2011. The investigation was assessed by nine items
which include carbon dioxide emission, energy efficiency, amount of green space, percentage of
energy efficient buildings, use of green transportation, amount of water consumption, waste
treatment, air quality and environmental governance. Vancouver was ranked the first ten of all
the nine items, and ranks first in both carbon dioxide emission and air quality. Since green power
policies have been implemented in Vancouver and hydro-electric power generation is the main
source of power, the average carbon dioxide emission per capita was only 4.2 tons which was
much lower than the average index value of 14.5 tons. Due to the implementation of its green
power policies and the monitoring of the air pollutants, the emission of sulfur dioxide and
nitrogen dioxide is very low. The air quality is therefore good.
21
Information Sheet 13
generation
Specific example: China – hydro-electric power (HEP)
Water resources in China
1.
2.
3.
China ranks first in the total water resources in the world. In 2007, the reserve of water
resources in China is about 676,000 MW and the installed capacity available for
development is 378,000 MW, making it first in global HEP generation. However, in view
of her large population which accounts for about 21% of the world’s population, the
water resources per capita of China is therefore not rich.
There is an uneven distribution of water resource. The distribution does not match with
the regional economic development. The water resources in China which can be used to
develop HEP are mainly concentrated in the 12 provinces in the central and western part
of China. The HEP resource of these regions is 76% of the whole country but its
economy is relatively behind and its energy consumption is lower. On the contrary, in the
more developed regions like the 13 provinces of the eastern part, the HEP resource is
only about 9% of the whole country.
The development of HEP resources of China is low until recently, with larger scale and
quicker pace of development being introduced. There is also a marked spatial disparity
among regions. The development of HEP in the east has reached 67% of the regional
potential but only 9% are exploited in the western regions.
The current situation of HEP generation in China
At the beginning of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, there were only
a few small scale HEP stations in the whole country. China ranked the twenty-first in HEP
generation in the world then. Later, China rapidly developed its HEP generation. Data showed
that up to 1999, the amount of HEP generated was 210 billion kilowatt per hour and ranked
the third in the world. According to the latest information, China’s HEP generation has
surpassed other countries and become the first in the world in 2008 (refer to Information
Sheet 11). The Three Gorges Project, which has already been in operation, is still the
world’s largest HEP station with the biggest installed capacity.
22
The utilization rate of HEP in China has risen from 10% before the Open Door Policy
to 27% in 2008. According to the information in 2011, the current level of development is
36%, which is still far behind the level of 60% of the more developed countries. Therefore,
China pointed out in the Twelve Five-year Plan, that HEP would be used as one of the main
source of clean energy in the future. Two HEP stations with an installed capacity of 70
million kilowatt and 120 million kilowatt will be built in the next ten years. In 2015, China
will develop a number of cascade HEP stations in Jinsha River, Dadu River, Yalong River,
Lancang River, Wujiang and the upper course of Huang He, where there will be about 150
super hydro-turbine generators producing 700 thousand kilowatt of electricity.
The pros and cons of the development of HEP in China
Pros




Carbon concentration will be reduced by
40-45% in 2020 (based on the 2005
emission standard).
Reduce the heavy reliance on coal to
improve the environment and ensure the
stable provision of energy in the future.
It can help prevent flood and stabilize
the water supply (for example, irrigation
etc.).
It can help stabilize the supply of
electricity and prevent the hindrance to
production due to power shortage.
Cons






The ecological environment of the
nearby regions will be destroyed if HEP
stations, dams and reservoirs are built.
The dams will block the breeding
migration of fish and destroy the ecology
of the rivers.
HEP generation will change the flow of
the river, changing the natural ecology of
the rivers.
Trash and waste will be accumulated at
the bottom of the dams after the
reservoirs started to store water. This
may produce methane and increases the
concentration of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere.
Dams and reservoirs may induce
earthquakes.
Drought will reduce the amount of river
flow, leading to unstable supply of
electricity.
23
Information Sheet 14
Specific example: Wind power – United Kingdom
The energy resources of the United Kingdom
For the last ten years, UK has mainly relied on natural gas, then coal and nuclear power to
generate electricity. In terms of renewable resources, because of its geographic advantages, the
UK possesses rich wind and ocean water resources of which allows her to develop wind power
and tidal wave power. At the same time, UK also actively develops biofuels to supplement her
energy supply.
Energy problems faced by the country
1. The need for energy resources far exceeds its supply: the need for energy resources in UK
2.
3.
exceeds its supply by about 50%. This will lead to energy shortage in the future.
High carbon emission: burning of large amount of fossil fuels (e.g. coal and oil) leads to
large amount of carbon emission. Greenhouse effect is intensified.
Gradual reduction in fossil fuel production per year: the production of crude oil and coal has
decreased drastically and the needs for energy consumption in the long run cannot be met.
Is the geographic environment of UK suitable for developing wind power?
Locational advantages:
1. UK is located at the Westerlies wind belt where the annual wind speed is strong and stable.
So it can provide stable and sufficient wind power to generate electricity.
2.
UK is surrounded by the sea which is suitable for developing large scale offshore wind
farms.
24
UK is one of the European countries with the strongest wind power and thus the supply of
wind power is highly sufficient. Ever since the construction of the first wind farm in 1991, wind
power has been developing rapidly. By the end of 2010, the installed capacities of wind farms in
the UK ranked eighth in the world. By August 2011, there are 308 wind farms in UK with a total
of 3,418 wind turbines. Its total installed capacities were 5754.1 megawatts, producing enough
electricity for 3.2 million families (Refer to Figure 4). UK also owns the world’s largest offshore
wind farm which is located off her southeastern coast. The electricity generated is enough for the
consumption of 240 thousand families. In 2007, the wind power generation industry exceeded the
hydraulic power generation business and becomes the chief mode of renewable energy in UK.
Environmental groups and citizens of UK hold very different points of view towards wind
power generation. Some of them think that wind power is a clean energy with “zero carbon
content”. So it can reduce the reliance on coal fuel. Besides, the construction of wind farms can
create local job opportunities. The area can be developed into an education and tourist resource.
However, some pointed out that the wind turbines create a lot of noises which harm the birds.
Wind farms are set up in regions with beautiful scenery. This will lead to visual pollution. The
movement of the wind turbines will also interrupt the transmission of radio signals, affecting the
reception of TV and radio stations. Worse still, it can also affect the operation of military radar,
leading to national security crisis.
25
Figure 3: Annual mean wind speed in different parts of UK
Figure 4: Capacities of wind farm in different parts of UK
26
Information Sheet 15
Specific example: Biofuel – Brazil
Energy resources of Brazil (2008)
Source:gigaom.com
The development of biofuel and the dispute arisen in Brazil
Brazil is the world’s second largest biofuel producing countries. Its production is second
to the US (refer to Information Sheet 11). Until October 2008, the sales volume of ethanol in
Brazil was about 15.8 billion liters. The internal sales volume of ethanol even exceeded that
of gas in Brazil. Sugar canes are mainly used to produce ethanol in Brazil. In 2006, its
production has reached 3 billion liters and it replaced nearly 40% of imported oil or coal. 80%
of the cars in the country use a mixture of ethanol and gas as fuel. The Brazilian government
planned to increase the plantation area of sugar cane from 6 million hectares to 30 million
hectares and to raise the export volume of ethanol to 200 billion liters. There are now 40
projects in progress which involve an investment of about 3 billion US dollars.
Brazil has a very long history of developing biofuel. Since the beginning of 1970, Brazil
has put much emphasis in developing biofuel. The gas price was very high at that time. So
Brazil started to focus on developing biofuel and tried to replace gas with alcohol in public
transport. Many sugar refinery factories were transformed to produce alcohol fuel. Until 1975,
27
the Brazilian government officially implemented the national ethanol plan. The plan reduced
Brazil’s reliance on imported crude oil successfully and helped earn an income of several
billion US dollars by exporting ethanol. It had also created employment opportunities for 600
thousand people and a social wealth that worth several billion US dollars. Apart from
economic gain, it also benefits the environment. The promotion of using ethanol as fuel by the
Brazilian government reduced the emission of greenhouse gases and alleviated the problem of
air pollution. According to the research analysis done by a professor and his team at the
University of Campinas, 220.5 kg of carbon dioxide could be reduced by using one ton of
sugar cane ethanol fuel. Based on this analysis, Brazil could reduce its greenhouse gases
emission by 25.8 million tons per year. On the other hand, the Brazilian government pointed
out that developing ethanol fuel would not impose a threat to food supply because the sugar
cane used in producing ethanol is different from staple food like corns and wheat. Sugar
belongs to the category of non-staple food in the human food chain.
Although there are many advantages for Brazil in developing biofuel, many
environmental groups and organizations pointed out that the large scale development of
biofuel in Brazil is not a sustainable way to solve the energy problem. They indicated that
large scale planting of plants for the production of biofuel such as corns, soybeans and sugar
cane would cause the surge in prices of food, land and agricultural products. This will lead to
food shortage or even famine in the less developed countries and poor regions because they
cannot afford the expensive food prices, bringing serious strikes to the societies in those
countries and regions. Concerning the environment, the increased demand for biofuel has
speeded up deforestation for cultivated land, especially in the Amazon rainforest region. This
will upset the ecological balance and increase the emission of carbon dioxide. Large scale
cultivation of biofuel requires a lot of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides
which will pollute the underground water and land, indirectly destroying the ecology of the
environment. Although Brazil mainly plants sugar cane to produce ethanol, the Brazilian
government also intends to explore other biofuels such as using soybeans to produce biodiesel
for large vehicles. However, soybean-planting requires a larger area of farmland, and green
group thus worried that this will lead to deforestation in the Amazon region.
28
Information Sheet 16
in Hong Kong
Information about the construction of offshore wind farm
The application of wind power and its development plans in Hong Kong
The first wind/solar hybrid system is situated in Shek Kwu Chau Treatment and
Rehabilitation Centre. The first commercial-scale combined PV and wind turbine renewable
energy power station is under construction in Town Island and will start operating in 2011.
Besides, the Hong Kong Observatory also set up wind power generators to supply electricity for
the automatic weather stations in remote regions. This shows that the use of wind power in Hong
Kong is gradually increasing.
Apart from these, the two electric companies also intend to develop wind power
generation. The Hongkong Electric Co Ltd (HK Electric) has set up the first commercial wind
power station in Lamma Island in February 2006. The rotor diameter is 50m and the rated
capacity is 800 kilowatt. By the end of 2010, carbon dioxide emission has been reduced by more
than 3700 cubic tons. HK Electric also plans to build about 35 wind turbines of 2.3 to 3.6
megawatts capacity in the sea area to the south of West Lamma Channel between Lamma Island
and Cheung Chau. The project is expected be completed in 2015, providing 175 million units of
electricity for fifty thousand families per year and reduce 150 thousand tons of carbon dioxide
emission.
China Light and Power Company Limited (CLP) also planned to build a maximum of 67
wind turbines of 135m high 10km offshore to the east of Clear Water Bay, providing electricity to
80 thousand families at most. CLP is expected to spend 5 to 7 billion dollars and the power
station will be completed and start production in 2016.
Source: “New and renewable energy”, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
29
Supporting the construction of wind farms
in Hong Kong
Green Peace
- Environmental aspect:
＊ compared with the high level of
pollution produced from burning coal,
wind power is a way of producing vast
amount of electricity without causing
any pollution.
＊ effectively solving regional air
pollution problem and alleviating
global climate change through
zero-pollution on electricity
generation.
Opposing the construction of wind farms in
Hong Kong
Association for Geoconservation
- In such a small place like Hong Kong, it is
not suitable to build a wind farm that
occupies a large area of land and ocean.
- It destroys the natural conservation region
and world class geo-heritage in Sai Kung.
- The economic efficiency is low because a
large amount of capital is used to build a
wind farm that can only be used for 20-25
years.
- Citizens of Hong Kong need to pay a higher
electricity bill.
- Economic aspect:
- It is believed that there are other
＊ enhanced diversification of energy
approaches which are more environmental
sources can strengthened energy safety.
and more economically beneficial in
The impact of fluctuations of
reducing the emission of carbon dioxide3.
international fuel price can be reduced.
＊ Increased employment opportunities.
Sai Kung District Council and
＊ new industries can attract the influx of
Heung Yee Kuk
new capital
- There are worries that the natural view will
- Social aspect: stimulate the economical
be destroyed by the wind farm.
growth and facilitate social harmony as well - CLP has been criticized for not collecting
as international cooperation, for example,
data on the amount of traffic of ships near
greenhouse gases emission trading and
the wind farm. It is thought that the setting
mechanism for developing clean energy2.
up of wind farms may affect the business of
the fishermen in that area.
- There may be the chance of producing
underground water shocks and immense
noises, leading to damage on the artificial
fishing reef under the water4.
“Blueprint of Hong Kong electricity market 2020: replacing coal burning by wind power, the response of Green
Peace to “The future development of Hong Kong electricity market consultation paper phase II”
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr05-06/chinese/panels/ea/papers/ea0327cb1-1122-6-c.pdf
3
“Signing campaign in opposition to CLP’s development plan of offshore wind farm in the southeastern sea of Sai
Kung”, Association for Geoconservation, June 2009
http://www.rocks.org.hk/activity2009/Objection%20to%20CPL%20Wind%20Farm.pdf
4
“Sai Kung District Council is concerned that the wind farm will damage the view”, Wen Wei Po, 16th September,
2009
2
30
Information Sheet 17
information
Nuclear incident in Fukushima, Japan and related
Brief overview of the nuclear incident in Fukushima, Japan
On 11th March, 2011, a 9-magnitude earthquake occurred in the northeastern coast of
Honshu, Japan which led to a large scale tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami destroyed
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant seriously and led to nuclear leakage, causing harm to humans,
organisms and the natural environment. After the occurrence of the Fukushima nuclear accident,
the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, Yukio Edano announced emergency escape instructions to
residents living within 10 km of the nuclear power station. After receiving the instruction,
Fukushima prefectural government immediately evacuated around 14 thousands residents living
within 20 km of the nuclear power station.
On 12th April, 2011, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency of Japan declared the
accident as a Level 7 crisis. Data showed that the amount of pollutants caused by the leakage is
one tenth of the Chernobyl disaster.
According to the reports from the media, the radiation leaked by the nuclear power station
has already had different degrees of impact to the surrounding environment:
 Slight amount of plutonium was found in the soil near the nuclear power station and the
amount of iodine-131 in the nearby sea water exceeded the standard by 4,385 times5
 People eating seafood or collecting kelp near the nuclear power station continuously every
day for a year will receive 25% of the yearly natural radiation amount yearly.
5
Plutonium and iodine-131 contain radiation substances
31



The amount of radiation of milk produced in Fukushima and spinach grown in places like
Ibaraki and Fukushima exceeds the safety standard of the food hygiene regulation.
Exceeding amount of iodine can be found in milk and other agricultural products produced
in Fukushima Prefecture.
Tap water of some prefectures and cities including Tokyo are found to be polluted by
radioactive iodine.
Other problems caused by the nuclear incident
1. Radioactive fallout is scattered around the world
 It was spread to Taiwan on 22nd March 2011. Slight amount of iodine-131 was found in
the air sample collected continuously in the southern and northern part of Taiwan.
 It was spread to Hong Kong on 26th March 2011. Slight amount of iodine-131 was found
and also cesium-137 was found afterwards.
2.
3.
4.
 It was spread to the whole of China by the end of March 2011. Radioactive iodine-131
was found in the northeastern, eastern, southern and the western regions of China.
 Slight amount of radiation was found in North America and many countries in northern
Europe. Among them, radioactive iodine-131 was found in rain water in many cities of
the eastern and western coast of Central America.
Radiation pollution on food
 It was found that the radiation level for milk, tea, fish and other agricultural products
exceeded the safety standard in the nuclear incident and its neighboring prefectures and
cities.
Global development of nuclear power may be stopped
 EU : Discuss the safety standard of nuclear reactor
 Austria: Request EU to conduct pressure test on nuclear power station
 Germany: Close down old nuclear power station temporarily for comprehensive safety
check-up
 India and China: Concern or adjust nuclear power safety plans
 Italy, Poland, Thailand, South Korea, Brazil: Postpone the development of nuclear power
temporarily
Panic buying of salt
 China and Hong Kong: salt was found sold out in retail shops in many cities
 South Korea: it was said that Chinese tourists went to South Korea to buy salt causing a
shortage in supply of salt there
Source: “After the nuclear disaster, views of different countries on nuclear power”, Green Peace
32
References
Websites:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Gigaom.com
http://gigaom.com/cleantech/primer-brazilian-biofuels/
Global Voices
http://zh.globalvoicesonline.org/hant/2011/07/14/11523/
Regional Environmental Centre
http://documents.rec.org/topic-areas/REN21_GSR_2010.pdf
RenewableUK
http://www.bwea.com/index.html
‘Wind farms: harmless or harmful?’, 21st Century Challenges
http://www.21stcenturychallenges.org/60-seconds/wind-farms/
Wind power / Environment / guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/windpower
「2020 年香港電力市場藍圖：以風力發電取代燃煤綠色和平就《香港電力市場未來的發
展 第二階段諮詢文件》的回應」，綠色和平，二零零六年三月
8.
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr05-06/chinese/panels/ea/papers/ea0327cb1-1122-6-c.pdf
「中國水力發電的發展及大壩建設」，周建平
9.
http://www.chinawater.net.cn/Journal/slxb/20009z/02.html
中國水網
http://news.h2o-china.com/society/environment/370131115860164_1.shtml
10. 「中國能源基本狀況(一)」，財團法人李國鼎科技發展基金會，二零零七年十二月
http://www.ktli.org.tw/html/doc/energy.pdf
11. 中國能源網
http://www.china5e.com/
12. 中國新能源網
http://www.newenergy.org.cn/
13. 「反對中電在西貢東南海面發展海上風力發電場計劃簽名運動」，香港地貌岩石保育協
會，二零零九年六月
http://www.rocks.org.hk/activity2009/Objection%20to%20CPL%20Wind%20Farm.pdf
14. 「巴西使用生物燃料的啟示」
http://x1week.com/jx1week/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=515&Itemid=10
002
15. 水電知識網
http://www.waterpub.com.cn/Info/InfoDetail2.asp?id=5009&CateID=F1
16. 世界能源理事會 (World Energy Council, WEC)
http://www.worldenergy.org/documents/ser_2010_report_1.pdf
17. 全球風能理事會 (Global Wind Energy Council, GWEC)
http://www.gwec.net/index.php?id=13
33
18. 《在香港發展一個離岸風力發電場：行政摘要》，香港電燈有限公司，二零一零年一月
http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_1772009/PDF/0088440_Executive_Su
mmary_Chinese_v7.pdf
19. 美國能源情報署 (U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA)
http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm
20. 「核災難後，各國對核電重新表態」，綠色和平，二零一一年三月十七日
http://www.greenpeace.org/hk/news/stories/climate-energy/2011/03/international-response-for
-jp-nuclear-crisis/
21. 「能源供需平衡是英國大難題」，歐洲節約網，二零一一年
http://uj.jieyue.net/news/euro/llgd/2011/85/11851852522DH09KB516GJ4068GC3F.html
22. 國家能源局
http://nyj.ndrc.gov.cn/default.htm
23. 國際地熱能協會 (International Geothermal Association, IGA)
http://www.geothermal-energy.org/226,installed_generating_capacity.html
24. 「新及可再生能源」，機電工程署
http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/chi/pee/nre.shtml
25. 環境資訊中心
http://e-info.org.tw/node/26900
News:
1. 〈西貢區會憂風電場損景觀〉，《文匯報》，二零零九年九月十六日。
〈生物燃料將成主要能源〉，《文匯報 (上海) 》，二零一零年十月二十四日。
〈丹麥五市利用生物燃料〉，《羊城晚報(全國版) 》，二零一零年十月二十四日。
〈丹麥 5 城市把生物燃料作主要能源〉，《科技日報》，二零一零年十月二十五日。
〈丹麥倚重生物燃料〉，《新京報》，二零一零年十月三十一日。
〈日照看好海洋新能源開發 或建波浪能發電〉，《中國新聞社》，二零一一年二月十八
日。
7. 〈風力發電擬 2016 投產 中電料加電費 2％〉，《明報》，二零一一年九月六日。
8. 〈加國綠色城市溫哥華稱冠〉，《明報加西版(溫哥華) 》，二零一一年九月九日。
9. 〈開發地熱先了解地層構造〉，《聯合報》，二零一一年九月十九日。
10. 〈英國與丹麥的海上風場〉，《工商時報》，二零一一年九月二十日。
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
11. 〈理大推汽車太陽能冷氣 熄匙後可用私家車改裝 4 萬元〉
，
《明報》
，二零一一年九月二
十七日。
12. 〈太陽能開冷氣 汽車年慳油 4 成〉，《文匯報》，二零一一年九月二十七日。
13. 〈理大充電板可省車能源〉，《新報》，二零一一年九月二十七日。
14. 〈英啟用全球最大風力發電站〉，《明報》，二零一零年九月二十四日。
15. 〈中國水力發電未來展望〉，《中國網》，二零零二年十一月十五日。
http://www.china.com.cn/chinese/ch-yuwai/233432.htm
16. 〈巴西的生物燃料〉，BBC Chinese News，二零零六年三月九日。
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_4780000/newsid_4783600/4783608.stm
34
17. 〈聯合國:生物燃料可能威脅人類〉，BBC Chinese News，二零零七年五月九日。
http://news.bbc.co.uk/chinese/trad/hi/newsid_6630000/newsid_6638400/6638457.stm
18. 〈巴西生物燃料已經替代了 40%的進口石油〉，《人民日報》，二零零七年八月十三日。
http://scitech.people.com.cn/GB/6102998.html
19. 〈乾旱威脅中國水力發電〉，《環球時報》，二零零八年一月十八日。
http://china.huanqiu.com/eyes_on_china/2008-01/49208.html
20. 〈2015 年 中國水力發電量成長 50%〉，《中央廣播電台》，二零一零年八月二十五日。
http://news.rti.org.tw/index_newsContent.aspx?nid=255804
21. 〈長江上游水電無序開發造成生態失衡〉，《第一財經日報》，二零一一年六月十四日。
http://info.electric.hc360.com/2011/06/140952362148.shtml
22. 〈英國領跑近海和離岸風能〉，《人民網》，二零一一年八月一日。
http://env.people.com.cn/BIG5/15295083.html
35
D. Meeting future energy demand in a sustainable way
Information Sheet 18
Energy Policy: Hong Kong (More developed city)
GDP (2010): HKD$1,743,858 million
Population (2011 mid-year): 7,108,100
Future population trend: continue to rise
1990-2010 total energy demand (MJ):
1990
2000
2010
222,640
403,579
297,488
577
216
118
Oil products
121,205
246,631
119,088
Electric power
85,801
130,675
150,705
Gas
15,056
26,057
27,578
Total energy demand
Coal products
Local electricity produced (2010): 137,850 MJ
Total electricity consumed (2010): 160,098 MJ
Types of consumption (MJ):
Year
Residential
Commercial
Industrial
Exported to China
2000
32,235
80,672
17,769
4,253
2010
39,344
99,883
11,080
9,392
Fuel for power generation: mainly generated by coal, followed by natural gas
Usage of renewable energy: development of solar and wind energy is expected (Refer to
Information Sheets 12 and 16)
36
Energy policy:
1. To monitor the stability of power supply and performance of power company;
2. To actively promote improvement of energy efficiency and energy conservation, expect
to achieve the target at different stages such as design, production and usage of products,
buildings and services;
3.
4.
5.
6.
To implement energy conservation and improving energy efficiency at the level of
private and public sectors;
To encourage partnerships and consolidate community support;
To promote appropriate researches and development projects to raise public awareness
of energy efficiency and conservation;
Transport and Energy: Actively develop the railway network in order to reduce the use
of vehicles; and in turn reduce the energy demand for transportation..
Source: Environmental Protection Department and Census and Statistics Department
37
Information Sheet 19
Energy policy: India (Less developed country)
India’s Energy Structure (2008)
The condition of energy use:
1. The demand for energy in India was large and kept growing year by year. Its economy
was developing rapidly with a growth rate in GDP of 8.7% in 2005 and hitting up to
9.1% in 2006. Therefore, the country’s energy supply was far from satisfying the
demand. It was estimated that the energy deficit was between 8 and 10%. In addition,
2.
3.
according to the data shown by the International Energy Agency, India became the
world's fifth largest energy consumer in 2006 and it was one of the countries whose
energy consumption grew the fastest.
India had relatively low fossil fuel reserves and it was especially in lack of oil and gas.
The country’s large population accounted for 17% of the world's total, while its reserves
of oil, gas and coal were only about 0.5%, 0.6% and 10% respectively of the world total.
Hence it was extremely short of fossil energy.
There was an over-reliance on imported energy. Data showed that India's dependence
rate on energy imports was 18%. Its dependence on oil imports was even higher, at
68.9% and that on gas imports was 17%. Given a huge population and rapid economic
development, India’s dependence on energy imports was forecast to further rise to as
much as 80% in 2031.
38
4
5
India was severely affected by the high-standing oil price. Due to the
continuously increasing international oil price, the expenditure on purchasing
energy for India had been surging and massive amount of foreign exchange
reserve was spent, creating a heavy burden on the Indian economy.
Citizens could not enjoy sufficient supply of electricity and clean energy.
According to the data of World Bank Group (WBG), 35% of citizens were
living below the poverty line and were lack of clean energy. 44% of families
received no supply of electricity. Therefore, the per capita energy consumption
of Indian in 2003 was only 439 kg oil equivalent. Such an amount was
considerably lower than the global average of 1688 kg oil equivalent.
India held the eleventh conference on the five-year plan for alternative energy and renewable
energy in April 2008, establishing her strategic objectives and policies for alternative energy
development from 2008 to 2012:
1. Strong Development of renewable energy
The focus on the development of renewable energy. It is estimated that in 2012,
renewable energy will take up 10% of India’s demand for electricity, including solar
photovoltaic power generation, wind power etc.
2. Government subsidy for alternative energy development
The Indian government plans to subsidize heavily on the development of new energy
and the facilities in power transmission. It is hoped that alternative energy can be
developed and used.
39
3
4
Setting up specialized governmental department
The Department of Alternative Energy and Renewable Energy was set
up to promote and develop alternative energy and renewable energy. The
Department is responsible for the formulation and implementation of
relevant policies, the development, organization and coordination of
alternative energy projects, as well as international exchange and
cooperation on alternative energy.
Strengthening international cooperation
In order to increase the speed and efforts on alternative energy development
and at the same time attaining the latest energy technologies, India actively
develops international cooperation on developing technologies related to
renewable energy.
energy.
40
Information Sheet 20
Energy Policy: Singapore (More developed country)
Primary Energy Production and Consumption in Singapore (2004-2008)
Primary Energy Production
(Btu)
Primary Energy Consumption
(Btu)
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
0
0
0
0
0
1.9
2.0
2.1
2.2
2.4
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
Energy profile:
1. Owing to its lack of natural resources, such as oil, coal, natural gas etc.,
Singapore is dependent on imports to meet its domestic energy need.
2. The major energy resources are oil and natural gas and their demand is
increasing.
3. Statistics show that the estimated electricity production (kWh) in Singapore
was 38.6 billion in 2007. Meanwhile, the estimated electricity consumption
(kWh) was 36.6 billion, mostly due to the use of energy in the manufacturing
and services-related sectors.
4. Since Singapore is situated in the tropics, there is a great potential in the
development of solar energy.
41
Energy Policy:
The Singaporean Government has published the National Energy Policy Report in
November 2007. The report presented medium and long-term energy policy
framework up to the year 2015 and six key strategies for strengthening economic
competitiveness and ensure energy security. The strategies are summarized as
follows:
1. Advocating a competitive market
In order to ensure the price of energy is at the level that the citizens can afford, the
government will not provide energy subsidy to consumers (as it would weaken the
citizens’ motivation to save energy), but will encourage private enterprises to
explore business opportunities so as to stabilize the supply and to maintain the
price at a reasonable level.
2. Diversification of energy supply
Since Singapore relies on imported energy, in order to avoid energy shortage or
being cut off, the government will advocate diversified energy policy, hoping that
fuel could be imported from various sources. The government will establish an
open and elastic framework, hoping to have a more diversified energy production.
Besides, Singapore will also try to develop and utilize solar energy.
42
3.
Increasing energy efficiency
“The Energy Efficiency Planning Committee” is set up to establish
energy-efficient plans for different sectors in order to lower the reliance on
energy, reduce the production cost and avoid the deterioration of the
environmental problems.
4. Developing energy industry
Energy industry has to be developed in order to ensure a stable energy supply.
The Singaporean Government plans to increase the investment and
production of oil refinery and to strive for the opportunity to increase the
utilization of clean energy such as solar energy etc.
5. Regional and international cooperation
Singapore is going to strengthen cooperation with Asian regions and countries
and expecting to establish a uniformed energy market in the region to assure
that there is stable and sufficient energy supply within the region.
6. Cross-departmental cooperation
Cross-departmental energy policy group was established in 2006. It is
responsible for establishing energy policies and carrying out coordination
among departments.
43
References
Websites:
1. Census and Statistics Department
http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/index_tc.jsp
2. Energy Profile India
http://www.reegle.info/countries/IN?gclid=CM692PWxmawCFaWL4godQGVdPQ
3. Environmental Protection Department
http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/tc_chi/about_epd/env_policy_mgt/env_policy.html
4. International Energy Cooperation Website
http://apecenergy.tier.org.tw/energy2/singapore.asp
5.
6.
U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA
http://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm
學術論文網
7.
http://www.csscipaper.com/politics-law/world-politics/south-asian-studies/144187.html
「印度新能源政策及其評析」，裴永剛 (2010)，中華人民共和國國土資源部
8.
http://big5.mlr.gov.cn/zljc/201007/t20100713_724373.htm
「新加坡能源政策」，行政院經濟建設委員會，二零零八年
9.
http://www.cepd.gov.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0010587
「新加坡能源政策報告書 點亮未來能源供應」，國際能源網，二零零七年
http://www.in-en.com/article/html/energy_1122112271136880_2.html
44