• Clean tech solutions for building new and changing existing power sources

• US/China tech solution approaches

• Clean energy systems manufactured in China and installed in the U.S.

New York is always inspiring. When I walked by Central Park two weeks ago, I was struck by an interesting question: new or old, which is greener? Buildings and infrastructures in New York overall are more historical than those in Shanghai. I could not help wondering which of the two cities are in a better position to be cleaner and greener. No doubt new-builds have an easier chance to implement new technologies and initiatives for cleantech. On the other hand, being sustainable and improvable in and of itself is the best way of saving energy; taking into account the cost of energy and materials needed to build something new.

Actually, the answer is not that important; the question illustrates the different paths that the US and China are taking in leading the effort to become cleaner. Both paths lead towards the same destination. China is on a course of fast growth in which there are many shortages and thus the country is leveraging this urgent demand to implement all the new trials and solutions. The US is comparatively more established, so we can see a lot of initiatives launched here that enable existing infrastructures to perform better.

For the first quarter of 2011, China experienced 13.4% YOY growth in electricity consumption along with which hydro, nuclear and wind power increased 22.3%, 6.8% and 49.8% YOY, respectively.  At the same time, China is going to invest 300B RMB per year in the next 5 years to build or upgrade the grid. This has created a significant opportunity for the application of new technologies in new energy and grid efficiency areas.

I checked the website of the US energy department where I found a variety of policies and sponsors to help business and individuals to adopt or optimize the energy usage for the existing infrastructure. Also, when I travelled to upstate New York, I saw people installing solar panels onto the roof of 200-year-old buildings.

This logic is also demonstrated by our investment portfolio. I find that our cleantech investments in China are mostly in the “new creation” sector like CWS’s products, which are used on newly built windmills and CPQQ’s products, which are in great demand in the new Chinese grid plan.