DEZHOU, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Few men at 51 can claim to be full of energy, but Huang Ming is -- and it drives him into a state of excitement.
Excitement at the state of the environment; excitement at the roaring success of his solar water business; and excitement at his new green housing project, where homes are selling almost as soon as they're on the market.
The apartments in Dezhou city, in China's eastern Shandong Province, are being snapped up despite costing double the local average rate, he points out.
The energy-efficient buildings are the latest development in his green dream, backed by his Himin Solar Energy Group empire, the world's largest maker of solar water heaters.
"My dream is quite simple: leaving our offspring blue skies and white clouds and saving limited resources for their benefit," says Huang, president of the Dezhou-based group.
After rushing back from a meeting in Ji'nan, the provincial capital more than an hour's drive from Dezhou, Huang arrives at the company reception room at about 8 p.m. for the interview.
He talks proudly about his plans, the heart of which is Utopia Garden, a state-level, energy-efficient building project under construction since September 2007.
Dapperly dressed in a neat shirt, casual suit and black and red-striped scarf, his hands move energetically to emphasize his words.
The first four of the 12 apartment blocks, between 12 and 18 floors, sold out after sales started in October he says, refueling himself on a dinner of cake.
The buildings, which boast an energy consumption rate at least 65 percent lower than normal homes, have solar-powered heating and air-conditioning systems on the roofs. Power for lighting in the public areas and gardens will be produced by photovoltaic devices.
Huang started the Utopia Garden project despite skepticism that a solar water heater maker could be a developer. "A major factor pushing me into the property market was the frequent refusal by developers to install solar water heaters on their buildings."
Property developers don't bother to add value to homes by installing energy-efficient facilities because apartments are sold before construction, Huang says.
"I'm saving the country in a devious way," he jokes.
Buildings account for a third of China's total energy use, and energy-efficiency goes far beyond just installing solar water heaters.
Huang envisions the Utopia Garden project being replicated in Hangzhou, Qingdao and Wuhan. However, he says, solar water heater manufacture will always be his main business despite the property business expansion.
Himin's own offices are a model of solar technology. The building, already a landmark in Dezhou, is covered by solar panels on the outside and its windows are equipped with highly efficient heat-absorbing glass.
Steve Sawyer, secretary general of the Global Wind Energy Council, said: "The level of enthusiasm and almost messianic zeal with which he (Huang) is pursuing the goal is very unusual."
Huang, a fluent English speaker, met Sawyer in Vienna at a global conference.
It has reported that most of his employees fear him as he pushes relentlessly for higher standards. In the company's early days, Huang put a card on each desk, urging his employees "to learn the persistence of Japanese and prudent manner of the Germans," according to a report in China New Time magazine.
Chinese media have given Huang many nicknames -- solar madman, ambassador of renewable energies, sun king and solar patriarch -- for his contribution and perseverance in promoting solar energy use.
However, few are aware that his energy expertise began in the oil industry more than two decades ago.
After graduating from the China University of Petroleum in 1982,Huang became a drilling and research engineer in an institute in Dezhou. His visions of a green future were nurtured by his teacher's remark that "the world's oil reserves will run out in 50years."
The birth of his daughter in 1986 changed his destiny and led to his decision to shift to clean energy. "She is so adorable and I feared she would have no blue skies and white clouds to see when she grew up."
Huang made his first solar-powered water heater in 1988, inspired by a book titled Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes written by William Beckman. Seven years later, Huang set up Himin, whose Chinese pronunciation is also "Huang Ming".
Sales were initially tough as solar water heaters were new to Chinese and the public had little understanding or awareness of environmental protection and energy-saving.
With staff in a mini-bus painted green, Huang drove through major cities to promote his product in 1997. The bus, emblazoned with the slogan "You should use a solar water heater to save the blue sky and white clouds for the children, even you don't choose Himin," covered more than 80 million kilometers.
Himin has expanded rapidly since the Chinese government stepped up efforts to promote energy efficiency and cut emissions. In 2008,the company sold 3 million square meters of solar panels, exceeding 10 Bird's Nest Olympic stadiums in area.
Although Himin's solar water heaters are not the cheapest on the market, ranging from more than 2,000 yuan (292.8 U.S. dollars)to around 6,000 yuan for a basic model and up to more than 30,000 yuan for a more sophisticated heater, it topped domestic rivals with technology that enabled the heater's use even in rainy weather.
Himin holds more than 10 percent of China's solar water heater market, ahead of major domestic rivals LDK Solar and Suntech Powerand more than 5,000 other manufacturers in the country, says Huang.
His personal fortune is estimated at 2.05 billion yuan and he was on the Forbes China Rich List 2009 released last month. He is considering an A-share initial public offering for Himin and overseas listing in 2010.
Huang has set a target for an annual increase of 15 million square meters of solar water heaters before 2015.
At the end of last year, China had more than 130 million square meters of solar water heaters, accounting for 76 percent of the world's total, and saving 300 million tonnes of standard coal equivalent in energy consumption, which would produce 200 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, says Huang.
As vice president for industry at the International Solar Energy Society, Huang was invited to the Copenhagen climate change conference.
He says every government in the world should focus more on climate change, but "if tackling climate change becomes something only done by government delegates at international conferences, no matter how many Copenhagen summits we hold, it won't work."
Individual efforts are needed and if the construction, transport and lifestyles can become more environment-friendly and energy-efficient, the world could evolve from the fossil energy era to new energy era in 30 to 50 years, he says.
At the International Solar Cities Congress next September in Dezhou, Huang will share his green dream with other participants and deliver a speech titled "I have a dream."
