通用電氣加碼投資中國清潔能源
????中國的環境問題很明顯。隨著中國城鎮人口增長、居民消費和開車出行增加,如果不采取行動,中國業已糟糕的空氣質量將變得更加惡劣。在中國成都召開的財富全球論壇“共建可持續未來”主題會議上,三位世界頂尖CEO集思廣益,深度剖析了這個問題。 ????中國石油、天然氣和化工業巨頭中國石化(Sinopec)的董事長傅成玉認為,太陽能、風能這類可再生能源固然重要,但至少短期內它們對于解決中國的空氣質量問題作用會很小。他表示,中國可以通過提高能源效率取得更多成效。“我們的單位GDP能耗是歐洲的3倍多,”他說。“我們需要更多的科技創新來應對能效挑戰。我們可以通過提高能效,將能源需求縮減三分之二。” ????挑戰非常嚴峻。傅成玉表示,如果中國遵循工業發展的歷史道路,最終會耗盡全球能源。那么,什么能夠推動變革呢?通用電氣(General Electric)CEO杰夫?伊梅爾特、杜邦(Dupont)CEO柯愛倫和中國石化CEO傅成玉均贊成這樣一點,那就是,中國需要更嚴格的環保標準,同時制實施。傅成玉表示,中國政府正在努力尋找途徑,降低火電廠排放,將環保標準提高到歐4和歐5水平。另外,他認為可能會有所幫助的一件事是:中國政府已經開始從能源補貼轉向市場自由定價模式,它將會鼓勵更多的海外公司將清潔科技引入中國。 ????通用電氣CEO杰夫?伊梅爾特也同意這一點,中國正在認真對待環境問題,未來他將“加倍在中國的清潔能源投資”。迄今,通用電氣在清潔科技領域的投資令人印象深刻。通用電氣自身制造的產品就包羅萬象,囊括了從混合動力機車到風能和天然氣渦輪機等。通用電氣從五年前開始啟動“綠色創想”(Ecomagination)計劃、著力能源領域創新。伊梅爾特表示,自那以來,通用電氣的能效產品年營收已經從50億美元增加到了270億美元。換言之,能源創新同樣具有商業價值。 ????但伊梅爾特擔心西方CEO們口口聲聲“綠色”和“可持續發展”可能適得其反。“用詞很重要,而像‘綠色’和‘可持續發展’這些聽上去冠冕堂皇的字眼并不會推動變革,”他說。“中國CEO聽到‘可持續發展’這個詞時,他會認為美國是要教他們如何用不經濟的方法做事。” ????杜邦CEO柯愛倫表示,更多地聆聽客戶的聲音有利于推動能源領域的創新。在全球范圍內除了大型研發中心,杜邦已經設立了11個規模相對較小的創新中心,其中2個設在中國。她說:“我們學到的經驗是,科技全球通用,但解決方案要因地制宜。”柯愛倫表示,客戶到訪這些創新中心時提出的想法往往會催生出成功的產品。過去三年,這些創新中心已牽頭推動了165種新產品,將產生4億美元的可持續收入。 ????中國能在多短時間內將空氣變清潔?沒人愿意貿然給出答案,但傅成玉持樂觀態度:“中國中央政府已經將環境問題視為頭等要事。”果真如此,中國人應該能長出一口氣了。(財富中文網) |
????The problem is clear. With China's urban population growing and its citizens consuming and driving more, the nation's already poor air quality will get even worse if nothing is done. That was one of the main themes during 'Building a Sustainable Future,' a session of Fortune's Global Forum in Chengdu where three of the world's top CEOs put their heads together today to parse this problem. ????Fu Chengyu, chairman of the Chinese oil, gas and chemical giant Sinopec, believes that while renewables like solar and wind are important, at least in the short term, they will play a minor role in solving China's air quality problem. He says that China can gain much more by pursuing energy efficiency. "We consume three times more energy than Europe per dollar of GDP," he says. "We need great technological innovation to solve our energy efficiency challenges. We can cut our energy needs by two-thirds through efficiency." ????The challenge is daunting. Fu said that if China follows the historical path of industrial development, it will eventually exhaust the world's supply of energy. So what can drive change? General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt, Dupont CEO Ellen Kullman, and Fu all agreed that China needs tougher environmental standards and ones that are enforced. Already, Fu says, the Chinese government is working on ways to cut emissions from coal plants and to raise environmental standards to Euro 4 and Euro 5 levels. Another thing he says will help: Beijing is already moving away from energy subsidies toward free-market pricing, which would encourage more foreign corporations to bring clean tech to China. ????Jeff Immelt, the CEO of GE (GE) agreed that China was serious about cleaning up its environment and said he would "double down his clean energy investments there." So far GE's record in investing in clean technology has been impressive. Immelt says that since focusing his company—which makes everything from hybrid locomotives to wind and gas turbines—on innovation in the energy space with his Ecomagination program five years ago, revenues from energy efficient products have risen from $5 billion to $27 billion annually. In other words, innovation in energy makes good business sense. ????Immelt worries, however, that western CEOs who throw around terms like green and sustainability are hurting their own cause. "Words matter and the words 'green' and 'sustainability' don't drive change because they are elitist," he said. "When a Chinese CEO hears the word sustainability he thinks they're being lectured to by the U.S. on how to do things in an uneconomical way." ????Dupont (DD) CEO Ellen Kullman said that innovation in the energy sector can be spurred by listening more to your customers. In addition to its large R&D centers around the world, Dupont has set up 11 smaller innovation centers globally, including two in China. "What we've learned," she said, "is that science is global but solutions are local." Kullman says that when her customers visit these innovation centers they bring ideas that often lead to winning products. Over the last three years the innovation centers have led to 165 new products that will deliver $400 million in sustainable revenues. ????How soon will China be able to clean up its air? No one was willing to venture a guess, but Chairman Fu was optimistic: "The central government has made the environment its top priority." If that turns out to be true, the Chinese will be able to breathe a big sigh of relief. |