Hanwha is preventing desertification using solar energy in China
Hanwha announced on September 14th that it signed an agreement with China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Lingwu City under the support of UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), through which Hanwha will give comprehensive support to combat China’s desertification problems by providing PV generation systems.
The convention to combat desertification was held in Kai Yue International Hotel in Lingwu City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. President Keum Choon-soo of Hanwha Group China, Yang Youlin from UNCCD Asia HQ, Li Jianjun, Party Secretary of Lingwu City, Chen Shuhui, mayor of Lingwu City, and Department of Forestry Vice President Malin of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region participated for the signing of the agreement.
Under the agreement, Hanwha SolarOne and Hanwha SolarEnergy will provide solar modules and build power plants in the Mu Us region in Lingwu City.
The facilities provided will have an hourly capacity of 80 kilowatts and this will provide power to a tree nursery for reforestation of an 855-hectare area, a project which Lingwu City is promoting.
This project promoted by Hanwha and Lingwu City is meaningful since this is the first such case of using solar energy to prevent desertification.
Previous activities to combat desertification were usually conducted in one-time events such as tree planting. However, this project is distinguishable since it uses solar energy to provide electricity, which is essential in a tree nursery. This model is sustainable since solar energy is a clean energy.
UNCCD believes that Hanwha’s action toward anti-desertification with the provision of PV facilities will be a good model for the future and is expected to be introduced as a model case in UNCCD’s 10th summit which will be held in October in Changwon, Korea.
Desertification in the Mu Us region is moving rapidly, and the Chinese government is taking actions for intense management. Being the strategic point in Western China development, Lingwu City is constructing a tree nursery for reforestation in the Mu Us Desert.
“It is significant that we will participate in a project to tackle desertification through solar energy, which is a representative renewable energy,” said Keum Choon-soo, Chief Executive of Hanwha Group China. “Hanwha Group will become one of the top environment-friendly companies in China by strengthening our low-carbon green-growth business.”
UNCCD (United Nations Convention Combat Desertification) is a convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought due to climate change and is a convention to discuss problems that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangement. It is one of the three UN’s Environmental Agreements along with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Convention on Biological Diversity. Members come from 194 countries, and UNCCD 10th summit will be held in Korea (Changwon) on 2011, October.
Sponsored by UNCCD(United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), Hanwha Group is conducting desertification prevention efforts hand in hand with the China’s Ningxia Hui Auotnomous Region and Lingwu city.
The plant will have an hourly capacity of 80 kilowatts and will provide power to a tree nursery for reforestation of an 866-hectare area.
Hanwha executives and Chinese government officials pose after signing an agreement to fight desertification with regional governments in China, including that of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
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