The three groups will work to discover new ways of improving energy efficiency in order to help China meet its goal of reducing its energy use by 20 percent by 2010.
China is currently the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and is heavily-reliant on coal-burning power plants, said Allan Chen, the leader of the communications office in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division in the lab.
David Kepler, the senior vice president and chief sustainability officer for The Dow Chemical Company, said the company has joined the partnership in order to offer its knowledge for solving China’s energy issues.
“When we look at our strategy on climate change, Dow has a huge interest,” Kepler said. “We’re very strong in terms of energy efficiency and the environmental footprint it leaves.”
In funding the project, The Dow Chemical Company gave a total of $300,000 to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said Mark Levine, who is the group leader of the China Energy Group at the lab.
“It was a gift by the Dow Chemical Company,” Levine said. “We’re free to use it as we wish.”
Levine said $200,000 will tentatively be used for industrial work, while the other $100,000 is expected to be used for data collection and to look at “energy scenarios for China.”
While the groups are still forming the details of the partnership, Levine said the China Energy Group at the lab will give a subcontract to China’s Energy Research Institute so that they can work toward energy efficiency.
“This is (The Dow Chemical Company’s) charitable giving. It’s their goal to do good things for China,” Levine said.
Levine said the parties are hoping the partnership will continue for the next three years.
Karen Robertson, the communications leader for sustainability and environment, health and safety at The Dow Chemical Company, said Dow’s motivation to enter the partnership was inspired by the company’s 2015 Sustainability Goals released last year, which look at energy needs for other communities.
“These goals shift the focus from where Dow operates to where Dow sits in the world,” Robertson said. “(The goals) are about being a good corporate citizen and looking broadly into the world beyond our own facilities.”
Kepler said an official end date for the partnership has not been decided, as it will take time to solve China’s energy issues.
“The challenge of energy will be here for a long time,” Kepler said. “China’s energy (and) climate change is a very long-term issue.