ABU DHABI // Chinese billionaire, Wang Chuanfu, the founder of car and battery maker, BYD Company, received the Zayed Future Energy Prize’s lifetime achievement award on Monday.
The self-made entrepreneur, whose company is now the largest supplier of rechargeable batteries in the world, as well as a major supplier for smartphones, was one of nine finalists who took home a share of US$4 million (Dh14.6m) in prize money. Mr Wang’s share was $500,000.
The winners were honoured at a high-profile ceremony at the Emirates Palace hotel with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, presenting the awards.
Mr Wang said environmentally friendly public transport was China’s priority.
“The Chinese government puts priority for the development and use of electric vehicles in the public transportation industry,” he said, adding that the country plans to produce 500,000 electric vehicles in 2015.
Having trained as a chemist, Mr Wang established BYD Company in 1995, and has seen his staff grow from 20 to 180,000.
The company also manufactures electric vehicles, especially buses. The billionaire was quoted last year as saying the company was ready to follow the example of American manufacturer, Tesla Motors, in producing high-end electric cars if consumer demand increased.
BYD Company was last year listed as a ZFEP finalist, for the large corporation award, but was pipped to the post by the German technology giant, Siemens.
Another winner was Switzerland’s ABB, with 120 years of experience in automation and robotics, which won the large corporation award. Out of $39.3 billion in revenue for the company in 2012, about $22bn came from divisions related to renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Winners in the large corporation category do not receive monetary awards.
The winner in the small and medium enterprise category was an Indian bio energy company, Abellon CleanEnergy. Based in Gujarat, the company produces pellets made from agricultural and sawmill residues which can be used as a clean energy source in commercial or residential settings. It was awarded $1.5m, which it earlier said would go towards research and development.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in Germany, was also awarded $1.5m in the non-government organisation category. The institute is Europe’s largest solar energy research body.
Professor Eicke Weber, the institute’s director, urged for the wise use of oil and gas resources, saying the sun “can provide us with all the energy we humans need”. He also referred to the difficulties faced by some solar manufacturers in the past few years.
“We believe very strongly that solar will find its way back in the prospering business. The industry has gone through some interesting dynamics, more from a commercial side than a technological side, because in fact, every year, solar installations increase over the last years.
“We will use the prize money to promote sustainability and solar energy all over the world, especially for the 1.4 billion people without access to electricity,” said Prof Weber.
For the second year in a row, ZFEP also praised schools for their outstanding environmental work. Schools compete in five geographical regions, with $100,000 for each winner.
Among those chosen was the Bronx Design and Construction Academy in New York, and Romania’s Gheorghe Rosca Codreanu National College – winners for the Americas and Europe respectively.
The winner for Africa was the Nkhata Bay School Authority in Malawi, which will establish a centre to train students and other members of rural communities to install and use solar lighting.
India’s Kalkeri Sangeet Vidyalaya, a school which provides musical as well as academic training, and the Tonga High School, were also among the winners.
The finalists were chosen from 552 submissions across 88 countries.
Launched and managed by Abu Dhabi clean energy company Masdar, the award honours the founding President, Sheikh Zayed.
ZFEP is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which continues in the capital until tomorrow.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
