China's Silk Road City

to develop new energy to protect environment

July 31, 2011 - A city on the ancient Silk Road will strive to develop solar and wind energy to drive the local economy and protect the vulnerable environment characterized by its desert-threatened oases.

Earlier this month, the National Energy Administration (NEA) voiced its support for Dunhuang in the northwestern Gansu Province to build itself into the country's first nation-level pilot city of new energy development. read more>>>

Part Two

July 31, 2011 - Due to the over draining of water, more than 10,000 mu (667 hectares) of saltwater lakes and 1,000 mu of freshwater lakes in the oases have dried up, he said.

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More than 3,500 square kilometers of wasteland on the edge of oases in the city can be used to build solar and wind energy facilities, with the potential installed capability reaching 100 million kilowatts, according to the data.

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Earlier this year, Liang Zhipeng, deputy director of the Department of New Energy and Renewable Energy of NEA, said China plans to build pilot zones of microgrids in regions with rich solar and wind resources and establish 100 pilot cities of new energy development from 2011 to 2015. read more>>>