1 March 2010
Clean-tech: let battle commence
The struggle for leadership in clean-energy technology pitches the ingenuity and know-how of Silicon Valley against the industrial might of China, writes Conal Walsh
CAN THE home of cheap gasoline, interstate highways and General Motors really do clean technology? While US stock exchanges prepare once again for a raft of initial public offerings (IPOs) from companies working in alternative fuels and energy conservation, some investors believe the smart money has already migrated to China. The US is only a recent convert to climate-change action, but the government in Beijing has placed renewable energy at the heart of its industrial policy, with the aim of selling its expertise to the rest of the world. It's just another area in which the two powers look set to compete for dominance in the 21st century, potentially pitching the know-how and ingenuity of
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