The Chinese economy has grown at an absolutely blistering pace over the past decades, providing a quality of life and access to information, technology and health that has escaped the people of China for millennia. With such leaps and bounds comes increased energy consumption, a massive carbon footprint and the challenge of overturning a century of growth at the expense of the environment.
Chinese growth and its impact on energy consumption has been massive. Adding millions of automobiles to the roads, building tens of thousands of manufacturing and industrial facilities operating with few environmental controls has significantly increased the risks to the entire world by creating pollutants and negligent practices. The challenge facing China is to continue to invest in infrastructure and grow both its internal and external markets, all while promoting environmental reforms and smart, sustainable energy consumption.
Today, China is leading the world in the manufacture and export of solar panels and research into solar power technology. Outfitting internal consumers in the form of homes, businesses factories and even cities will result in massive reductions in environmental pollutants, as well as save China from spending on foreign energy sources. Finally, the massive application of solar power will preserve the Asian and world ecosystems for future generations.