Rizhao: Mainstreaming solar energy on city level

99% of Rizhao’s households use solar water heaters, while almost all traffic lights, street lights and park illuminations are powered by photovoltaic solar cells.

Rizhao, a city of 3 million people in Northern China, is using solar energy to provide energy, heating and lighting. 99% of Rizhao’s households use solar water heaters, while almost all traffic lights, street lights and park illuminations are powered by photovoltaic solar cells. This case demonstrates how it was possible to change to solar energy and on the city’s increased ability to bring in foreign investment to the city – following 15 years of solar efforts.

The city of Rizhao combines incentives and legislative tools to encourage the large-scale, efficient use of renewable energy, especially solar energy. 99% of Rizhao’s households use solar water heaters. In the suburbs and villages, more than 30 percent of households use solar water heaters, and over 6,000 households have solar cooking facilities. Almost all traffic lights, street lights and park illuminations are powered by photovoltaic solar cells.

Widespread use of solar energy has reduced the use of coal and helped to improve the environmental quality of Rizhao. The vision was to enhance environment thus helping the city's social, economic, and cultural development in the long run. Solar energy is seen as a starting point to trigger this positive cycle. And after 15 years of promoting solar energy this has proven effective. In 2007 the city is attracting a rapidly increasing amount of foreign direct investment. According to city officials, environment is one of the key factors bringing these investors to Rizhao.

Solar advertisement in chinese village, 21 March 2007, By Auqapfel, Flickr, Creative Commons

The provincial government subsided research and development activities in the solar water heater industry. This investment gave technological breakthroughs, which increased efficiency and lowered unit costs. The cost of a solar water heater was brought down to the same level as an electric one. The city mandates all new buildings to incorporate solar panels and oversees the construction process to ensure proper installation. To raise awareness, the city held open seminars and ran public media campaigns on television. Government buildings and the homes of city leaders were the first to have the panels installed as role models. Some government bodies and businesses even provided free installation for employees.

The achievement of Rizhao was the result of a convergence of three key factors: a government policy that encourages solar energy use and financially supports research and development, local solar panel industries that seized the opportunity and improved their products, and the strong political will of the city's leadership to adopt it.

“After 15 years of effort, it seems the merit of using a solar heater has become common sense in Rizhao, and "you don't need to persuade people anymore to make the choice," according to Wang Shuguang, a government official.” Renewable Energy World [1]

Rizhao: Solenergi som standardløsning i byen

I Rizhao, en by på 3 millioner indbyggere i det nordlige Kina, bliver solenergi brugt til at forsyne byen med energi, varme og lys. 99 % af Rizhao’s husstande bruger solenergi til vandopvarmning. Desuden er næsten alle trafiklys, gade- og parkbelysning drevet af fotovoltaiske solceller. Denne case beskriver, hvordan det er muligt at overgå til solenergi, og at satsningen på solenergi har ført til flere internationale investeringer til byen.

Rizhao kombinerer incitamenter og reguleringsværktøjer til at gennemføre en standardiseret og effektiv brug af vedvarende energi, specielt solenergi. 99 % af Rizhao’s husstande bruger solenergi til vandopvarmning. De omliggende forstæder og landsbyer og bruger tilsvarende 30 %. 6,000 familier bruger også solenergi til madlavning i form af solovne mv. Desuden kører næsten alle trafiklys, gade- og parkbelysning på fotovoltaiske solceller.

En bredspektret brug af solenergi har reduceret forbruget af kul og har hjulpet til at skabe en markant forbedret luftkvalitet i Rizhao. Byens ledere var sikre på at byens omlægning til solenergi ville sætte en positiv udvikling i gang, så byen på længere sigt også ville forbedre sig socialt, økonomisk og kulturelt. Det har vist sig at holde stik. Efter 15 års fokus på solenergi strømmer udenlandske investeringer i 2007 til byen.

Provinsstyret støttede forskning og udviklingsaktiviteter for industrien i området, der fremstiller soldrevne vandvarmere. Disse investeringer resulterede i teknologiske gennembrud, som øgede effektiviteten og sænkede prisen på solcellerne. Prisen på solvarmeanlæg blev bragt ned til samme niveau, som en elektrisk vandvarmer. Bystyret i Rizhao stiller i dag krav om at alle nye bygninger inkorporerer solceller og de overværer konstruktionsprocessen for at sikre en ordentlig installation af dem. For at bevidstgøre borgerne i byen er der holdt åbne seminarer og kørt offentlige oplysningskampagner på TV. Regeringsbygninger, politikere og embedsmænds hjem var de første til at få solcellerne installeret. På den måde fungerede de som rollemodeller for resten af byen. Nogle offentlige institutioner og virksomheder sørgede endda for at deres medarbejdere fik installeret solceller i deres hjem gratis.

At Rizhao lykkedes med projektet har været resultatet af tre faktorer: En politik som opfordrer til brug af solenergi og giver økonomisk støtte til forskning og udvikling, lokale solcellevirksomheder der imødekom udfordringen og forbedrede deres produkter og bystyrets stærke politisk vilje til at gennemføre projektet.

”Efter 15 års indsats, ladet det til at fordelene ved at benytte solvarme er blevet almindeligt accepteret i Rizhao og ”du behøver ikke længere at overbevise folk om at træffe det valg”, ifølge Wang Shugang, embedsmand”. [Red. oversættelse] Renewable Energy World [1]

Shanghai_electricity_19_March_By_Henning_Thomsen_MK_B.jpg

Shanghai electricity, 19 March 2008 By Henning Thomsen, Flickr, Creative Commons

Solar energy can be made the standard energy solution for an entire city as well as provide traffic lights, street lights and park illuminations

The cost of a solar water heater can be brought down to the same level as an electric one by subsidizing research and development activities of the solar water heater industry

Implementation of sustainable strategies can be a way to attract Foreign Direct Investment to the city

Provincial government works with local solar panel industries to lower cost of appliances
Setting city regulations requiring that all new buildings incorporate solar panels
Assisting in the installation of solar panels in households (managed from Municipality level)
Raising awareness through community campaigns and education: Rizhao held open seminars and ran public advertising on television
Leading the way, putting politics into action at government level. Government buildings, politicians and government officials’ homes were the first to have panels installed

City: Rizhao

Inhabitants: 2,78 million

Size by sq. meters: 5,310,000

Country: China

Continent: Asia

99% of Rizhao’s households use solar water heaters.

In the suburbs and villages, more than 30 percent of households use solar water heaters, and over 6,000 households have solar cooking facilities.

More than 60,000 greenhouses are heated by solar panels, reducing overhead costs for farmers in nearby areas.

Using a solar water heater for 15 years cost about 1.934 USD (15.000 Yuan in 1992, when the project was initiated) less than running a conventional electric heater, which equates to saving 120 USD per year per household in 2007.

The cost of a solar water heater was brought down to the same level as an electric one: about 190 USD, which is about 4-5 % of the annual income of an average household in town and about 8-10 % of a rural household's income.

The fact that Rizhao is a small (in Chinese context), ordinary city with per capita incomes even lower than in most other cities in the region makes the story even more remarkable.

Rizhao has consistently been listed in the top 10 cities for air quality in China.

“China is currently the world leader in the production and use of solar water heaters.” Amber Insights [2]

In 2006, China consumed less than 10 megawatts of solar power (total electricity consumption in 2006 was 2.83 billion megawatts). By 2010, the aim is to generate and consume 300 megawatts of solar energy. This would be equivalent to Japan’s consumption as the world's second largest consumer. Amber Insights [2]

“The solar thermal industry estimates that 1.4 billion square metres of solar thermal collectors could be installed in EU, 100 times more than the capacity of the roughly 14 million square meters installed by 2000” (Girardet 2008:183).

”Solar hot water systems are not exclusive to hot, sunny countries” (Girardet 2008:183)

Rizhao Municipality [3]

Why Rizhao Won the World Clean Energy Award in 2007 [4]

About Rizhao on Clean Energy Awards homepage [5]

C40 on Rizhao [6]

Article on Rizhao on Renewable Energy World homepage [1]

Description of Rizhao on FN’s Climate Neutral Network [7]

Description of Rizhao on the homepage for design Inhabitat [8]

Article about Rizhao on homepage World Changing [9]

China as a leading solar energy nation [2]

Berlin aims to become solar powerhouse: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50477/story.htm [10]

Different photos from Rizhao [7]