Rizhao: Mainstreaming solar energy on city level 
    




    







    
    
    
    














  
  
  
        
    
Published on Sustainable Cities (http://sustainablecities.dk)

    

    

    

    
    

    
20-08-2008

    			

								
Rizhao: Mainstreaming solar energy on city level 

				
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 

    
Key Learning Points
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 
 
How to
City Facts
City: Rizhao
Inhabitants: 2,78 million
Size by sq. meters: 5,310,000
Country: China
Continent: Asia
Project Facts
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.  
Related Facts
“China is currently the world leader in the production and use of solar water heaters.”  Amber Insights
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
 
“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) 
References
Rizhao Municipality 
Why Rizhao Won the World Clean Energy Award in 2007
About Rizhao on Clean Energy Awards homepage 
C40 on Rizhao 
Article on Rizhao on Renewable Energy World homepage 
Description of Rizhao on FN’s Climate Neutral Network 
Description of Rizhao on the homepage for design Inhabitat    
Article about Rizhao on homepage World Changing 
Additional Information
China as a leading solar energy nation 
 Berlin aims to become solar powerhouse: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50477/story.htm
 
 
 
 
 
 

    

    

    

    
Source URL: http://sustainablecities.dk/en/city-projects/cases/rizhao-mainstreaming-solar-energy-on-city-level

    
Links:
[1] http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=48605

[2] http://www.amberinsights.com/assets/Solar Panel Technology.pdf

[3] http://en.rz.gov.cn/

[4] http://www.cleanenergyawards.com/fileadmin/redaktion/factsheets/factsheet_webversion_6.pdf

[5] http://www.cleanenergyawards.com/top-navigation/nominees-projects/nominee-detail/project/64

[6] http://www.c40cities.org/bestpractices/renewables/rizhao_solar.jsp

[7] http://www.climateneutral.unep.org/cnn_MultimediaList.aspx?m=149&picCat=17

[8] http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/06/05/rizhao-the-sunshine-city/

[9] http://www.worldchanging.com/archives//007060.html

[10] http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/50477/story.htm

[11] http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=747&storycode=3118245

[12] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYDBTPep8ic