After years of resisting requests for environmental regulations from first world countries, China is leaving behind the can't do attitude of economic growth with little environmental regard.

For decades, China has been asked to limit coal power or to at least make modifications to their coal power plant operations so that less sulfur, carbon monoxide, and other pollutants are limited. China has often resisted touting that economic growth is impossible without a cheap energy supply and that America and Europe grew to success with coal, and so to will China.

However, as the clean energy movement energizes America and Europe bringing new economic opportunities, China has decided to jump on the clean power band wagon.

Recently Ireland's Research and Markets conducted an analysis and found that the world can expect China to shed their dirty, coal-based power and become a key player in the renewable energy sector.

In China: Clean and Renewable Energy Report to 2010, the firm anticipates China will receive more than one trillion dollars in investment opportunities to launch renewable energy projects. China's National Development and Reform Commission set a target of 10 percent of all energy coming for renewables for the country by 2010, which increases to 15 percent in 2020.

To achieve the goals, China will look to hydro, wind, and solar power as well as biofuels fromjatropha (succulent) andcassava (woody plant).

In a recent press release, Francois Nguyen, of the International Energy Agency specifically working on China projects, noted that China's goals are reasonable, and their "golden opportunity" is in clean energy, and according to other energy specialists, biofuels.

China has massive parcels of land available for growing crops for biofuels. In terms of land and manpower resources, the country could better positioned than America or Europe because of lower labor and manufacturing costs.

But, China will face what every country seriously considering mass production of biofuels for energy faces: balancing the need for farming land for food resources with that of renewable energy resources.