In order to work towards lowering carbon emissions nations need change their attitudes and encourage innovation, and China needs a solution to lower its energy costs, experts said on Sept 15 in Dalian, Liaoning province.

China is now number one in the world for wind-power and solar-power capacity, but these new forms of energy production contribute a limited portion to the county's energy mix, said Lin Boqiang, director of China Center for Energy Economic Research of Xiamen University, during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions.

According to experts, China needs to increase its commercial renewable energy consumption count to higher than 9.5 percent of its total power consumption, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 18 percent in five years time.

Technology in the new energy field is mostly possessed by developed countries, and usually costs a large sum to obtain, Tulsi Tanti, chairman and managing director of Suzlon Energy from India, said at the forum.

The new energy sector, energy saving and environmental protection sector are among the country's seven emerging strategic sectors, and energy efficiency company Danfoss A/S considers the energy-saving approach to be more achievable now.

Danfoss A/S' Chairman Jorgen M. Clausen sits at the Village area on Sept 16, 2011, during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dallian, Liaoning province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

"With great impact, we can save electricity from heating and cooling," as it is hard to stop residents driving fuel powered cars or reduce industries' energy consumption, Danfoss A/S' Chairman Jorgen M. Clausen told China Daily website on Sept 16 in an interview at the sideline of the forum.

China has been using waste heat from thermal power plants in some regions to warm water that is then piped into residents' heaters. This heating method avoids the necessity of warming the water using coal consuming boilers.

"The free heat from power generation is the cheapest heat… but its use could be improved far better," Clausen said. He believes carbon emissions could be cut by 10 percent, or 40 percent in new communities.

Government driven environment protection

James Cameron, founder and vice-chairman of Climate Change Capital from the United Kingdom, said at the forum that a common policy should be formulated by governments to lead more companies down environmentally friendly paths.

Stakeholders of environmental protection should communicate and restrict enterprises that produce high emissions, Cameron said.

"To avoid using poisonous materials, companies need to make big investments in new production methods. It is all driven by legislation, and China has a lot to learn in this area," Clausen said in the interview.

Recent reports found that some renowned international companies in China have been discharging poisonous waste directly into the environment. Some Chinese suppliers to international companies, including Apple Inc, were also found to be guilty of pollution.

"International companies have disciplines at home, and must export the safety rules to China," said Clausen, "Danfoss A/S checks the suppliers strictly to ensure the safety for the environments and workers. When the company makes a new material, a specification is required and checked by global headquarter."