There is little doubt that China is a country coming into its own. With a massive population, the country is starting to wake up and grow economically. Of course, it needs power to make that happen.

China is front and center when the future of our planet is discussed. The country may still be communist from a political perspective, but it has taken a strong capitalist approach to economic matters. In fact, it is only a matter of time till the "communist" label is dropped as a whole. While China is experiencing massive economic growth, many see future problems.

China is currently the fourth biggest economy in the world. Depending on the pace at which its economy continues to grow, it should overtake the United States sometime in the 2020s. While economic competitiveness will make for an interesting world, the growth could result in more military conflicts. Why? It is all about energy.

China has relatively few natural energy resources in comparison to its power needs. As it grows economically, it is going to need more and more oil, natural gas and so on. At the same time, these resources are being depleted around the world. The admittedly foggy estimates reveal we may have 60 to 80 years of oil and natural gas left. In fact, peak oil production is occurring now in 2007. After this year, the amount of oil being pumped around the world will start to drop and it will not recover. This lack of resources is surely going to be the basis of political, economic and military conflict with China, or is it?

China appears to realize it has a problem on the energy front. It has aggressively been looking into renewable energy. From hydropower projects like the Three Gorges Dam to solar and wind power, the country has taken an aggressive planning stance. Now comes news China will invest 5.8 BILLION dollars in alternative energy platforms. China is primarily focusing on wind and hydropower projects.

When compared to the United States, the efforts of China are amazing. We often view China as a country "catching up" to the rest of the world. With the large investment in renewable energy, it is clear that China is now leading in the energy arena instead of following. Perhaps those future conflicts will not come to be.

About the Author

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - a directory of solar energy companies.