Energy experts have suggested Shanghai government set up a special foundation to encourage clean energy and to make existing buildings more efficient.

 

"The city's intention to conserve energy is commendable but will be difficult to implement without the foundation," Xu Jiehuan, a professor of energy conservation of Tongji University, said yesterday in a closed hearing meeting organized by the government.

 

Eight experts in energy were invited by the government to offer ideas on how the city government could improve its energy conservation.

 

All agreed with the concept of a special energy foundation.

 

Many countries in the West have for some time encouraged people to use clean energies such as solar or wind-driven power. Users of these clean energies are often given tax exemptions.

 

The city government has set a goal of energy reduction by 2010, reducing the city's overall energy consumption by 20 percent per unit of Gross Domestic Product compared with the consumption rate set in 2005.

 

Lu Shanhou, a professor of the Shanghai Institute of Architectural Science, said: "The city government should take the lead in reducing its 'huge' energy consumption."

 

He suggested the government announce how much energy it and other local authorities consume on a regular basis. Anyone failing to meet the national energy conservation level should be penalized.

 

Officials of the city's construction and transport commission said the government will ensure that all newly built constructions would meet the country's energy-saving standards. Meanwhile, it will also conduct an energy audit on the 30 million square meters of existing buildings.

 

This year, the city will require a slew of public constructions, including hospitals, shopping malls and schools, to conduct energy-conservation face-lifts. They include improvement of ventilation designs, toilets and light bulbs.

 

(Shanghai Daily August 22, 2007)