With his good sense of the market, the company developed by leaps and bounds. Within two years it opened up markets in 27 provinces and cities across the country. Moreover, it expanded the business from solar heater manufacturing to the whole new energy and renewable energy sector, including developing various energy-saving products such as a biomass stove.

However, a good start doesn’t necessarily guarantee smooth sailing. The growth of Du’s company, like other small private enterprises, was hampered by general mismanagement, and a neglect of brand building. From 2002 to 2003, the company suffered a loss of nearly RMB 4 million due to problems with quality assurance. Although quality was restored after tens of million yuan were invested in new workshops and production lines, the company was on the brink of bankruptcy.

Fortunately, in 2003 at an investment and financing meeting, Du was inspired by an American friend to take the company public in the U.S., and he set about mounting a bid for capital. In March 2005, more than one year later, Du’s company was listed on the NASDAQ. The capital for the company’s further expansion was raised from over 70 Chinese and foreign shareholders and about 600 funds.

Low-carbon the Chinese Way

Deli Solar Energy Heating Co., Ltd. became China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions Inc. However, even the support of international capital didn’t stimulate the new growth spurt Du expected, but instead presented new problems.

“A company will encounter a lot of cultural disparities in a foreign market and will see differences in products. That profits are paramount in the capital market was heaped on the requirement for sustainable development. A company’s performance should adapt to the fast pace that must be sustained by a listed company. Our original products were designed for the domestic market only, and suddenly we had to think about how to meet international demands,” comments Du while recalling the challenges the company encountered in 2006 after it went public.

In over ten years of operation his company has helped save 6.8

million tons of standard coal, representing

a reduction of carbon

dioxide emissions by 11 million tons.

CSCE’s challenges were not superficial. In the following two years, Du adjusted the company’s board, with himself assuming the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and invited a group of professionals to introduce new management ideas to the company.

A few years after the company went public, Du and his team traveled non- stop among countries and regions in Europe and the U.S., anywhere advanced technologies were serving new energy. Gradually Du realized that the company couldn’t meet the demands of future development if it only focused on producing new-energy products.