China leads the manufacture of solar and wind turbines (see tables below) as the country's authorities subsidise the move into energy efficiency and solar power.
For the first time, China also led the number of patents filed in the wind, solar and marine energy sectors between 2006 and 2008, according to consultant Cleantech Group, and as a number of overseas firms, such as Applied Materials, opened up research centres in the country.
China overtook the US as the world’s largest power consumer last year, according to the International Energy Agency, although the country relies heavily on coal for much of its power production. However, concerns…
