Have you ever heard of ENN? No? Well then you’re like most everyone else in the United States.
But ENN is the seventh largest privately owned company in China.
They are an energy company that started out as car rental agency in 1989, diversified into the natural gas transmission business and, under the dynamic leadership of chairman Wang Yusuo, is now doing some of the most cutting edge work in development of clean alternative energy technologies.
Jim Rogers at Duke Energy is one of the people who has heard of ENN. He saw their potential and reached out to them to form a strategic partnership to develop alternative energy technologies.
I visited the leaders of ENN, the city of Langfang and the province of Hebei on Friday and was amazed by what I saw there. I was privileged to witness the signing of an agreement between Duke and ENN in which these two companies – one Chinese and one North Carolinian – pledged to work together to develop both utility-scale solar farms and distributed solar generation systems. That work will be critical to meeting RPS standards in states like ours and implementing smart grids across the country.
While at ENN, I toured their facilities and saw their high-tech system for manufacturing top quality thin film solar panels, their solar panel testing array, their wind turbines, and their fascinating work using fast growing algae to absorb carbon dioxide.
We’re in a race right now all over the world to develop new technologies for cleaner fuels. The biggest mistake any American could make would be to assume that China, with its smog-filled skies and voracious demand for power, has only a short-term interest in getting the most energy at the cheapest price.
My trip to ENN and Langfang convinced me that China knows the future lies not in more dirty coal plants, but in clean, green technologies.
Duke Energy recognizes the promise ENN holds and has wisely tapped into it, joining together with the company in an exciting new business venture. With any luck, that relationship will blossom, leading to a permanent ENN presence in our state and, down the road, more green jobs for North Carolina workers.