The competition in cleantech between the U.S. and China is heating up. In a press release issued last month, China’s state owned State Grid Corporation of China estimated that accommodated wind power will exceed 90 GW by 2015 and 150 GW by 2020.
As part of China’s wind energy growth, China’s industrial strength has begun to flex its muscle. On the heels of an agreement to provide wind turbines in the US for wind farms located in Rhode Island and Ohio, Xinjiang Goldwind recently inked a supply agreement to provide Zhongjieneng Wind Power Shares Co Ltd with 80 2.5 MW wind turbines.
The recent deals inked by Xinjiang Goldwind demonstrate China’s tremendous growth at home and abroad. One group that may not be happy about all this is the United Steelworkers. While the United Steelworkers claim that Chinese government is providing illegal subsidies to the domestic wind industry, this actually may be a case of the haves and the have nots. The Chinese government has plenty of money to spend, while the US Government wrestles over an increased debt ceiling and budget cuts that will touch every industry, including cleantech.
