Hawaii, China Agree to Clean Energy Projects at APEC Forum
Hawaii could see a boost to its portfolio of clean energy projects under an informal agreement with Chinese officials in town for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed a letter of intent Sunday night with the vice chairman of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, Yu Ping. The agreement followed an energy summit earlier in the day where more than 200 executives from local and Chinese energy companies convened at the Hawaii State Capitol.
“We set out to do business with China and I believe this past weekend, we’ve accomplished a first step in moving towards a direction of mutual economic growth in the area of clean energy,” Abercrombie said in a statement Monday. “Mr. Ping was very excited to enter into an agreement in which the state of Hawaii and China will pursue clean energy business projects in the near future.”
But exactly what those future business projects could entail is still being worked out, according to a spokeswoman for the governor.
The parties expect to have a more detailed agreement in place by March 30, according to a press release.
In a separate announcement over the weekend, Honolulu-based solar energy company said it reached an agreement at APEC with a Chinese investment firm.
The company, which makes a proprietary solar concentrator that generates electricity from the sun’s heat, involves a commitment from Sichuan Dongjia Investment Co. for equity and project financing. Sopogy has in turn agreed to expand in China, using the investment firm as its marketing and manufacturing partner.
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