China aims to prevent power generated by its renewable energy sector being wasted by 2020, the country&rsquo;s National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Monday.

Power from wind, solar and hydro plants is often wasted as there is not enough transmission capacity to absorb it, leading to high curtailment rates, especially in northwestern China.

The NEA said in a statement that the utilization rate of hydro-power plants in the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan should reach around 90 percent by 2017.

It expects the wind power curtailment rate to drop to about 30 percent in the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang and to around 20 percent in the northeastern region of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia in 2017.

Solar power waste in Gansu and Xinjiang provinces should be controlled below around 20 percent and in Shaanxi and Qinghai to below 10 percent this year, it added.

Power generated from wind and solar power plants in other regions across the country will have to meet the 2017 targets set by the NEA last year, it said in the statement.

China has vowed to raise the portion of its renewable and non-fossil fuel power consumption to 15 percent of the total energy mix by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030.

It also said that it will promote the power trade market and improve its cross-region power transmission capacity to boost renewable energy consumption and cut its coal dependence.

Coal-fired power capacity across the country will be capped at 1,100 gigawatts by 2020, the NEA said.

Power from wind, solar and hydro plants is often wasted as there is not enough transmission capacity to absorb it, leading to high curtailment rates, especially in northwestern China

China aims to prevent power generated by its renewable energy sector being wasted by 2020, the country’s National Energy Administration (NEA) said on Monday. Power from wind, solar and hydro plants is often wasted as there is not enough transmission capacity to absorb it, leading to high curtailment rates, especially in northwestern China. The NEA said in a statement that the utilization rate of hydro-power plants in the southwestern provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan should reach around 90 percent by 2017. It expects the wind power curtailment rate to drop to about 30 percent in the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Xinjiang and to around 20 percent in the northeastern region of Jilin, Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia in 2017. Solar power waste in Gansu and Xinjiang provinces should be controlled below around 20 percent and in Shaanxi and Qinghai to below 10 percent this year, it added. Power generated from wind and solar power plants in other regions across the country will have to meet the 2017 targets set by the NEA last year, it said in the statement. China has vowed to raise the portion of its renewable and non-fossil fuel power consumption to 15 percent of the total energy mix by 2020 and 20 percent by 2030. It also said that it will promote the power trade market and improve its cross-region power transmission capacity to boost renewable energy consumption and cut its coal dependence. Coal-fired power capacity across the country will be capped at 1,100 gigawatts by 2020, the NEA said.

China to stop wastage of renewable energy by 2020

It was always a mere imagination that flying cars would exist many years from now, however, it might actually happen in the recent future.

Uber and NASA have partnered up to create flying taxis, which was confirmed during the Web Summit conference in Lisbon on November 8 by Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden.

It was also announced that Los Angeles will join two other previously revealed &ldquo;UberAIR&rdquo; pilot schemes in Dallas Fort-Worth, Texas, and Dubai.

Uber plans to start test drives by 2020 in Los Angeles and be set to carry out &ldquo;tens of thousands&rdquo; of rides per day across the city, just in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

But the planned electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLS) &ldquo;&quot;differ from helicopters in that they are orders of magnitude quieter, safer, more affordable, and more environmentally-friendly,&rdquo; the company said, adding that journeys will be priced competitively with a standard Uber trip.

A promotional video shown at the summit, illustrated how the app would work in a similar way to the current set-up for ordering a car ride.

The video shows a women booking a &lsquo;ride&rsquo; from her Uber app after which she is seen entering the &lsquo;skyport&rsquo; on the roof of a building. After which she scans her phone with the code and enters the Uber flying taxi, a plane-helicopter hybrid aircraft with fixed wings and tilt prop-rotors. The flying taxi makes the journey to the destination and lands at another &#39;roof airport&#39;, where an Uber vehicle taxi is waiting for her. Finally, the end scene is shown where the woman enters her home after the hassle free ride without suffering any stress from daily commute.

Watch the video below:

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Want to experience what it will be like to push a button and get a flight with uberAIR? Keep watching. <a href="https://t.co/rRnj68Vs9j">pic.twitter.com/rRnj68Vs9j</a>
&mdash; Uber (@Uber) <a href="https://twitter.com/Uber/status/928312337207001089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The first demonstration flights are expected in 2020, moving into commercial operations by 2023 ? in plenty of time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

It was always a mere imagination that flying cars would exist many years from now, however, it might actually happen in the recent future. Uber and NASA have partnered up to create flying taxis, which was confirmed during the Web Summit conference in Lisbon on November 8 by Uber chief product officer Jeff Holden. It was also announced that Los Angeles will join two other previously revealed “UberAIR” pilot schemes in Dallas Fort-Worth, Texas, and Dubai. Uber plans to start test drives by 2020 in Los Angeles and be set to carry out “tens of thousands” of rides per day across the city, just in time for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. But the planned electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLS) “"differ from helicopters in that they are orders of magnitude quieter, safer, more affordable, and more environmentally-friendly,” the company said, adding that journeys will be priced competitively with a standard Uber trip. A promotional video shown at the summit, illustrated how the app would work in a similar way to the current set-up for ordering a car ride. The video shows a women booking a ‘ride’ from her Uber app after which she is seen entering the ‘skyport’ on the roof of a building. After which she scans her phone with the code and enters the Uber flying taxi, a plane-helicopter hybrid aircraft with fixed wings and tilt prop-rotors. The flying taxi makes the journey to the destination and lands at another 'roof airport', where an Uber vehicle taxi is waiting for her. Finally, the end scene is shown where the woman enters her home after the hassle free ride without suffering any stress from daily commute. Watch the video below: Want to experience what it will be like to push a button and get a flight with uberAIR? Keep watching. pic.twitter.com/rRnj68Vs9j — Uber (@Uber) November 8, 2017 ×

WATCH: Uber and NASA set to develop flying taxis

<div style="text-align: justify;">An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen&#39;s famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. 
 
With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. 
 
Come&nbsp;October, India,&nbsp;most famously described as soccer&#39;s sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities. 
 
All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials will not share details of the FIFA-backed programme yet, but according to a government statement, &quot;Mission 11 Million&quot; will be launched in about 30 cities across the country. 
 
As in China, where the soccer revolution was inspired by President Xi Jinping, the desire to improve India&#39;s standing in the world game goes to the very top. 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March lamented India&#39;s decline from one of Asia&#39;s top soccer nations in the 1960s to its current position at 163rd in the FIFA rankings, sandwiched between the Comoros and Tajikistan. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;Unfortunately, over the decades we have slipped to the lowest rungs,&quot; Modi said in his weekly radio talk. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;Today our ranking in FIFA is so low that I feel reluctant even to mention it.&quot; 
 
With India hosting the under-17 World Cup next year, states have been asked to promote football in a pattern similar to the trend across the border in China. 
 
The world&#39;s most populous nation plans to engage 30 million school children by 2020 as the first step towards achieving Xi&#39;s &quot;three wishes&quot; for China - to qualify for a second World Cup finals, to host a World Cup and to eventually win one. 
 
TARGETING DIASPORA 
 
And while the AIFF are looking to engage as many of the country&#39;s 1.3 billion people as possible, they have also cast their net wider with a global scouting programme to identify talent in the Indian diaspora. 
 
&quot;The idea is to increase the talent pool,&quot; former India captain and head of the scouting programme Abhishek Yadav told Reuters. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;We can&#39;t guarantee that we can unearth 20 players overnight. It&#39;s an attempt, which we believe might work. There&#39;s no harm in trying.&quot; 
 
The programme encourages anyone under 16 with an Indian passport to post, on a soon-to-be-launched portal, a two-minute video from a competitive match. 
 
&quot;We wanted to give the message that if you&#39;re talented, location should not be a problem. All you need is a passport and potential,&quot; said the former forward, who played 67 matches for India between 2002-2011. 
 
Yadav and his team are now focusing on the Gulf States, where a large number of expatriates still hold Indian passports. 
 
&quot;Maybe we can then expand it to U.S. and Australia, where we have many Indian students as well as parents who recently migrated there. We will also look at South Africa and Germany.&quot; 
 
While this has added to the buzz in the country around the hosting of the under-17 World Cup, not everyone believes India is standing on the cusp of a soccer resurgence. 
 
&quot;The fundamental difference between the neighbours is that China woke up long ago and played in World Cup finals before veering slightly off-track,&quot; soccer writer Jaydeep Basu told Reuters. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;With state support, they are now trying to get back on track. In contrast, India, I&#39;m afraid, is still in deep slumber,&quot; added Basu, who has written an anecdotal history of Indian soccer. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;&#39;Mission 11 Million&#39; has a nice ring to it but with only 3,000-odd certified coaches around, who&#39;ll teach these kids to play soccer?&quot; 
 
&nbsp;As well as the lack of qualified coaches, Basu cites a fast-shrinking number of pitches - China plans to build 70,000 around the country by 2020 - and paucity of infrastructure as the major handicaps for Indian soccer. 
 
MESSY MERGER OF LEAGUES 
 
The AIFF is also preoccupied with a messy merger of two Indian leagues, which jeopardises the future of several sides, including a couple of century-old clubs in Kolkata. 
 
The franchise-based India Super League (ISL), which is promoted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani&#39;s Reliance Industries and Rupert Murdoch&#39;s Star India TV, looks set to supplant the I-League. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m afraid the ISL franchises have no soccer pedigree and I doubt if they have any long-term commitment to the game either,&quot; Basu said. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;Who can guarantee they won&#39;t switch to another business if they suffer losses in ISL?&quot; 
 
&nbsp;There is, however, no denying the ISL&#39;s spectacular success in gaining a foothold in India&#39;s cricket-dominated sporting landscape since the 2014 launch of the league with celebrity owners. 
 
&nbsp;The ISL debuted as the fourth biggest soccer league with an average attendance lower only than Germany&#39;s Bundesliga, the English Premier League and Spain&#39;s La Liga. 
 
&nbsp;The government hopes next year&#39;s under-17 World Cup will further consolidate football&#39;s popularity in India, attracting kids who would otherwise be picking up bats and heading to the neighbourhood cricket academy. 
 
&nbsp;&quot;Our youth, the children in our schools, should be drenched in sweat just playing football,&quot; Modi said in his radio talk. 
 
&quot;If that happens, we shall have real fun playing the host. So, all of us should make the effort to ensure football reaches every village, street and alley.&quot; 
(Reuters)</div>

The country will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in activities related to the sport

An ambitious project to awaken a sleeping giant of Asian soccer looks like confirming Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen's famous remark that India pricks up its ears only when comparisons with China are made. With China embarked on a multi-billion dollar mission to become a soccer superpower by 2050, India looks set to follow suit with its own plan to raise its status in the game to match its burgeoning economic power. Come October, India, most famously described as soccer's sleeping giant by former FIFA president Sepp Blatter, will launch a programme to engage more than 11 million children in soccer-related activities. All India Football Federation (AIFF) officials will not share details of the FIFA-backed programme yet, but according to a government statement, "Mission 11 Million" will be launched in about 30 cities across the country. As in China, where the soccer revolution was inspired by President Xi Jinping, the desire to improve India's standing in the world game goes to the very top. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March lamented India's decline from one of Asia's top soccer nations in the 1960s to its current position at 163rd in the FIFA rankings, sandwiched between the Comoros and Tajikistan. "Unfortunately, over the decades we have slipped to the lowest rungs," Modi said in his weekly radio talk. "Today our ranking in FIFA is so low that I feel reluctant even to mention it." With India hosting the under-17 World Cup next year, states have been asked to promote football in a pattern similar to the trend across the border in China. The world's most populous nation plans to engage 30 million school children by 2020 as the first step towards achieving Xi's "three wishes" for China - to qualify for a second World Cup finals, to host a World Cup and to eventually win one. TARGETING DIASPORA And while the AIFF are looking to engage as many of the country's 1.3 billion people as possible, they have also cast their net wider with a global scouting programme to identify talent in the Indian diaspora. "The idea is to increase the talent pool," former India captain and head of the scouting programme Abhishek Yadav told Reuters. "We can't guarantee that we can unearth 20 players overnight. It's an attempt, which we believe might work. There's no harm in trying." The programme encourages anyone under 16 with an Indian passport to post, on a soon-to-be-launched portal, a two-minute video from a competitive match. "We wanted to give the message that if you're talented, location should not be a problem. All you need is a passport and potential," said the former forward, who played 67 matches for India between 2002-2011. Yadav and his team are now focusing on the Gulf States, where a large number of expatriates still hold Indian passports. "Maybe we can then expand it to U.S. and Australia, where we have many Indian students as well as parents who recently migrated there. We will also look at South Africa and Germany." While this has added to the buzz in the country around the hosting of the under-17 World Cup, not everyone believes India is standing on the cusp of a soccer resurgence. "The fundamental difference between the neighbours is that China woke up long ago and played in World Cup finals before veering slightly off-track," soccer writer Jaydeep Basu told Reuters. "With state support, they are now trying to get back on track. In contrast, India, I'm afraid, is still in deep slumber," added Basu, who has written an anecdotal history of Indian soccer. "'Mission 11 Million' has a nice ring to it but with only 3,000-odd certified coaches around, who'll teach these kids to play soccer?" As well as the lack of qualified coaches, Basu cites a fast-shrinking number of pitches - China plans to build 70,000 around the country by 2020 - and paucity of infrastructure as the major handicaps for Indian soccer. MESSY MERGER OF LEAGUES The AIFF is also preoccupied with a messy merger of two Indian leagues, which jeopardises the future of several sides, including a couple of century-old clubs in Kolkata. The franchise-based India Super League (ISL), which is promoted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries and Rupert Murdoch's Star India TV, looks set to supplant the I-League. "I'm afraid the ISL franchises have no soccer pedigree and I doubt if they have any long-term commitment to the game either," Basu said. "Who can guarantee they won't switch to another business if they suffer losses in ISL?" There is, however, no denying the ISL's spectacular success in gaining a foothold in India's cricket-dominated sporting landscape since the 2014 launch of the league with celebrity owners. The ISL debuted as the fourth biggest soccer league with an average attendance lower only than Germany's Bundesliga, the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga. The government hopes next year's under-17 World Cup will further consolidate football's popularity in India, attracting kids who would otherwise be picking up bats and heading to the neighbourhood cricket academy. "Our youth, the children in our schools, should be drenched in sweat just playing football," Modi said in his radio talk. "If that happens, we shall have real fun playing the host. So, all of us should make the effort to ensure football reaches every village, street and alley." (Reuters)

'Mission 11 Million' to kickoff as India follows China's lead

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Tuesday that it expects to nearly double its transaction volumes by 2020, signalling it still expects rampant growth as Executive Chairman Jack Ma pledged to intensify a crackdown on fake goods. 
 
At an investor conference at its headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Alibaba said it expects to record 6 trillion yuan ($912 billion) in gross merchandise volume (GMV) in fiscal 2020, nearly double 3.09 trillion yuan in fiscal 2016. 
 
Echoing that growth, Ma said Alibaba expects to have 2 billion consumers on its books by 2036, up from 423 million active buyers in 2016. 
 
Addressing concerns about the company&#39;s efforts to remove counterfeit products from its online platforms, Ma said Alibaba will do &quot;anything to stop the fake products&quot;. The company has been dogged for years by accusations that its shopping platforms were conduits for counterfeiters. 
 
&quot;I promise you guys that counterfeits, fake products, and intellectual property theft - we are more and more confident than ever that we can solve the problem,&quot; he said.

Executive Chairman Jack Ma was even more hopeful long term, stating they'd have 2 billion annual consumers by 2036

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said on Tuesday that it expects to nearly double its transaction volumes by 2020, signalling it still expects rampant growth as Executive Chairman Jack Ma pledged to intensify a crackdown on fake goods. At an investor conference at its headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Alibaba said it expects to record 6 trillion yuan ($912 billion) in gross merchandise volume (GMV) in fiscal 2020, nearly double 3.09 trillion yuan in fiscal 2016. Echoing that growth, Ma said Alibaba expects to have 2 billion consumers on its books by 2036, up from 423 million active buyers in 2016. Addressing concerns about the company's efforts to remove counterfeit products from its online platforms, Ma said Alibaba will do "anything to stop the fake products". The company has been dogged for years by accusations that its shopping platforms were conduits for counterfeiters. "I promise you guys that counterfeits, fake products, and intellectual property theft - we are more and more confident than ever that we can solve the problem," he said.

Alibaba expects to record $912 billion by 2020, even amid concerns it sells counterfeit products

2020

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