China Cleantech: How Competition, Innovation and Central Support Coexist

On the plane back to China, I read pieces by Tyler Cowen in the New York Times and Evan Osnos in the New Yorker that clarified my ideas about China, cleantech, and collaboration. Specifically, Innovation in China can benefit America!

Professor and blogger Tyler Cowen writes in the New York Times:

China, for instance, is moving toward the research frontier in areas such as solar power, scientific instruments, engineering and nanoscience, all of which can benefit the United States. …

It might be pleasant to boast that America is — or should be — a world leader in every area, but the practical reality is that if some other country solves the problem of green energy, so much the better for us. [more]

Evan Osnos’ New Yorker article Green Giant describes China’s efforts to support green innovation. Here are my personal take-aways from this long and nuanced article:

(1) The Chinese government provides generous support for cleantech innovation, but the competition is also intense.  Osnos spoke with coal engineer Xu Shisen, who explained:

“It’s very intense–like a presidential election, he joked, and he sketched out the system: more »

Cow Dung, Poverty and Microfinance in Inner Mongolia

This post originally appeared on the Wokai blog on January 27, 2009.

What does it mean to be green?  How do energy sources relate to poverty alleviation in developing countries?  Who should be making decisions about rural energy use?

I’ve been thinking more about these questions lately.  We recently posted some new borrowers on Wokai, whose businesses focus on selling cow dung to burn as fuel.  Here’s one such profile:

Several things stand out to me in Aodunsiqige’s profile: her daughter’s poetic name and musical ambitions, her family’s transition from selling millet to lending equipment to selling cow dung, her awareness of options and prices for winter heating materials… more »