The status of energy technology in China (15 images)

Chinese businessmen visit an international natural gas equipment exhibition in Beijing on April 1, 2011. China just completed its first horizontal shale gas well, after 11 months of drilling, as the world's biggest energy consumer seeks to tap its reserves of the cleaner-burning fuel. China plans to triple the use of natural gas to about 10 percent of energy consumption by 2020 to help cut reliance on more-polluting oil and coal. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A life-like mural of a worker cleaning the 'sky' is painted on the side of coal towers adjacent to one of Beijing's main power plants December 16, 2010. China faced power and energy shortages during the winter as supplies of oil and coal were hit hard by the country's aggressive urbanization, according to China's top economic planning body. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A thick blanket of smog hangs over central Beijing August 9, 2010. China's leaders have ordered over 2,000 steel cement mills and other factories with poor energy efficiency to close as it struggles to cut waste and improve the country's battered environment. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A heavy fog hangs over the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River in Sichuan Province, September 2, 2010. China's hydropower installed capacity has exceeded 200 million kilowatts, making it the world's highest, according to government reports. The Chinese government aims to boost that amount to 300 million kilowatts by 2015, as part of its aim to cut carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45 percent by 2020. UPI/Stephen Shaver