Solar power will be widely applied during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, according to a senior government official.

Li Zhonghai, senior official with the China Association for Standardization and member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said about 90 percent of all the hot water used in the Olympic village will be solar heated and 80 to 90 percent of street lights around the Olympic venues will also be solar powered.

About 40 million Chinese households, or 150 million Chinese people, now use solar energy in their daily lives.

According to the People's Daily, China is the world's biggest user of solar water heating. Following the implementation of the Renewable Energy Law in 2006, China's solar heating market is valued at tens of billions of yuan and has provided hundreds of thousand jobs, said the newspaper.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2007)