Tianjin, as one of China’s positive examples of structural transformation from a veteran industrial city to a more sustainable economy, has made great achievements in developing alternative energy. The Municipality is now leading the country in terms of alternative energy technology, manufacturing capacity and major products’ market share.
Although speeding up the transformation of R&D results, promoting the integration of research, study and production, and supporting science- and technology-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises, Tianjin has witnessed an renewable energy industrial cluster represented by Li-ion and Ni-MH battery, solar panel, and wind-power generators coming into shape in the Municipality.
China’s largest base of lithium ion battery is now under construction in Tianjin. Through independent innovation, Tianjin Lishen Battery Joint-Stock Cooperation Ltd. has established an annual production capacity of 100 million of various kinds of Li-ion batteries. At present, fifth-Phase capacity expansion construction is under way, which will make Lishen the biggest Li-ion battery production base in China with an estimated annual production of 570 million. With Li-ion battery as core business, research, development and industrialization of supporting key materials have also started, among which, Tianjin B&M Science and Technology Joint-Stock Co., Ltd. has become China’s largest positive-pole material producer for Li-ion battery. The company’s output value of 2008 reached 460 million yuan. Tianjin Jinniu Battery Material Co., Ltd. has built a Li-ion battery electrolyte industrialization base with annual capacity of 1,000 tons. The company has become the only one to produce electrolyte with self-made Lithium Hexafluoroarsenate and the quality of product has been ratified by 10-odd battery companies in China. Therefore, it could feed Lishen production sufficiently. The output of Tianjin Jinniu Battery reached 100 million yuan in 2008.
Extraordinary progress has also been achieved in the field of solar panels. Researchers here have intensified the research of thin-film solar cells technology and made breakthrough in single and integrated technology. One is about the new generation of a-si and poly-si tandem solar cells’ technology, with which the transformation rate of small proportion battery has hit 11.8 percent in laboratory environment, which is close to world-leading standard.
Through the integration of research, teach and production, the transformation from solar panels’ R&D achievements to industrialization has also made breakthroughs. With technical support of Nankai University, Tianjin Jinneng Battery Company has set up a 5-megawatt production line of a-si thin-film solar cells. It is estimated that it will have expanded to 100 megawatts’ scale of glass substrate solar cells by 2010.
Financed by specialized fund encouraging science and technology innovation, Nankai University and Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone Investment Co. Ltd. set up Tianjin Taiyang Photo Electricity Technology Company, which implements medium-term test research of copper-indium- selenium film solar cells. China’s first 0.3-megawatt medium-term test line is now under construction.
Wind-power industry dominated by foreign investment has basically taken shape. Due to the advantages of geological position and logistics services, Tianjin has attracted many well-known enterprises from both home and abroad, such as Vestas of Denmark, GAMESA of Spain, Suzlon of India, Vaillant and Siemens of Germany, Dongfang Steam Turbine and Mingyang Electric of China. The increase in newly installed capacity and the accumulated installed capacity have accounted for 40 percent of the total in China. Tianjin thus has become world-known for accommodating wind-power equipment manufacturing capacity.
Sales of wind-power products reached approximately 10 billion yuan in 2008. According to experts’ estimation, Tianjin will occupy 50 percent of the market share of wind power by 2010.
