China's Sun King dreams of a green future
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by Xinhua Writers Wang Yaguang, Lin Jianyang and Zhu Shaobin
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Xinhua, December 8, 2009
Few men at 51 can claim to be full of energy, but Huang Ming is -- and it drives him into a state of excitement.
Excitement at the state of the environment; excitement at the roaring success of his solar water business; and excitement at his new green housing project, where homes are selling almost as soon as they're on the market.
The apartments in Dezhou city, in China's eastern Shandong Province, are being snapped up despite costing double the local average rate, he points out.
The energy-efficient buildings are the latest development in his green dream, backed by his Himin Solar Energy Group empire, the world's largest maker of solar water heaters.
"My dream is quite simple: leaving our offspring blue skies and white clouds and saving limited resources for their benefit," says Huang, president of the Dezhou-based group.
After rushing back from a meeting in Ji'nan, the provincial capital more than an hour's drive from Dezhou, Huang arrives at the company reception room at about 8 p.m. for the interview.
He talks proudly about his plans, the heart of which is Utopia Garden, a state-level, energy-efficient building project under construction since September 2007.
Dapperly dressed in a neat shirt, casual suit and black and red-striped scarf, his hands move energetically to emphasize his words.
The first four of the 12 apartment blocks, between 12 and 18 floors, sold out after sales started in October he says, refueling himself on a dinner of cake.
The buildings, which boast an energy consumption rate at least 65 percent lower than normal homes, have solar-powered heating and air-conditioning systems on the roofs. Power for lighting in the public areas and gardens will be produced by photovoltaic devices.
Huang started the Utopia Garden project despite skepticism that a solar water heater maker could be a developer. "A major factor pushing me into the property market was the frequent refusal by developers to install solar water heaters on their buildings."
Property developers don't bother to add value to homes by installing energy-efficient facilities because apartments are sold before construction, Huang says.
"I'm saving the country in a devious way," he jokes.
