U.K.-based research firm New Energy Finance has come out with a report focused on China’s clean energy industry and how it’s expected to progress between now and 2020. Among its many conclusions:

* Renewable energy will supply 19 per cent of China’s energy needs by 2020 but it will take 50 per cent more investment than Chinese authorities have budgeted for – i.e. roughly $267 billion (U.S.). The 19 per cent figure is higher than the government’s own target of 15 per cent (as set by the National Development and Reform Commission).

* Biofuels will meet 9.1 per cent of transportation fuel needs over that time, conservation efforts will take off, and as much as 54 gigawatts of wind power — compared to the government’s own 30 gigawatt target — will be supplied.

* China will also make a major push into refining its own solar-grade silicon, and it will install 5.3 gigawatts of solar PV capacity compared to the NDRC’s lower target of 2 gigawatts.

* Biomass power generation will rise from 2.3 gigawatts today to 27 gigawatts, and marine energy (tital and wave power) will even contribute 3 gigawatts.

* Surprisingly, New Energy Finance does not expect hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to move beyond demonstration phase to substantial commercial rollouts before 2020. I say “surprisingly” because China is often considered the first place where hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies will see mass deployment.

“It is common for commentators to regard China and its dramatic economic growth as part of the world’s climate change problem, not part of the solution,” said New Energy Finance chief executive Michael Liebreich in a statement. “China’s growth is allowing it to invest enormous sums in clean energy. We see the Chinese government as more committed than most Western governments — both to rolling out clean energy aggressively domestically and also to building an export industry.”

As promised, here is a link that will allow you to monitor performance — and view Webcam images – of the 100-kilowatt solar system atop the Horse Palace at the Exhibition Place in Toronto. It’s also a good opportunity to tinker with the Web interface provided by Fat Spaniel. Thanks to David Davies at Carmanah Technologies for dropping me the link. For more details about the system check out this recent story of mine in the Toronto Star.

The Worldwatch Institute and the Center for American Progress have released a comprehensive report concluding that the United States, where renewables only represent 6 per cent of total energy, is capable of dramatically increasing that share. The key to doing this is to embrace new clean-energy technologies that are or will soon be economically competitive with fossil fuels. “Despite strong public support and rapidly rising interest in renewable technologies, the U.S. has not kept up with the rapid growth in the sector globally over the past decade,” according to the groups. “If the U.S. is to join world leaders in renewable energy — among them Germany, Spain and Japan — it will need world-class energy policies based on a sustained and consistent policy framework at the local, state and national levels.”

General Motors, one-upping BMW’s announcement around its planned hydrogen-powered cars, plans to build more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs containing a fuel-cell propulsion system. The fuel-cell fleet will be manufactured in Oshawa, Ontario, with funding assistance from the provincial and federal governments. “A comprehensive deployment plan, dubbed ‘Project Driveway,’ is designed to gain comprehensive learnings on all aspects of the customer experience and constitutes the first meaningful market test of fuel cell vehicles anywhere,” according to a statement from GM Canada. “A variety of drivers, in differing driving environments, will operate these vehicles in three geographic areas where hydrogen refueling is feasible: California, the New York metropolitan area, and Washington, D.C.”

Would be nice to test them in Toronto, given that we supposely have a “Hydrogen Village” composed of a hydrogen filling station at Exhibition Place.

General Motors, one-upping BMW’s announcement around its planned hydrogen-powered cars, plans to build more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs containing a fuel-cell propulsion system. The fuel-cell fleet will be manufactured in Oshawa, Ontario, with funding assistance from the provincial and federal governments. “A comprehensive deployment plan, dubbed ‘Project Driveway,’ is designed to gain comprehensive learnings on all aspects of the customer experience and constitutes the first meaningful market test of fuel cell vehicles anywhere,” according to a statement from GM Canada. “A variety of drivers, in differing driving environments, will operate these vehicles in three geographic areas where hydrogen refueling is feasible: California, the New York metropolitan area, and Washington, D.C.”

Would be nice to test them in Toronto, given that we supposely have a “Hydrogen Village” composed of a hydrogen filling station at Exhibition Place.