Shi Zhengrong (, born on February 10, 1963) is a

Chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

ese- Australian businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder and, up to March 2013,

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

and chief executive officer of Suntech Power.

Biography

Shi was born in Yangzhong, Jiangsu, China. His identical twin brother is Chen Henglong, who is also a tycoon. He finished his undergraduate study at

Changchun University of Science and Technology Changchun University of Science and Technology () is a key university in Changchun, Jilin, China, previously known as Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (). It was founded by Wang Daheng in 1958. After half a century's developmen ...

, and obtained his Master's degree from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Afterward, Shi went to the University of New South Wales's School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering where he obtained his doctorate degree on solar power technology. He acquired

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n citizenship and returned to China in 2001 to set up his solar power company - Suntech Power. According to Hurun Report's China Rich List 2013, he had a personal net worth of US$330 million. Shi was elected Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

in 2009. In 2009, Shi also received the Oslo Business for Peace Award, an award chosen by Nobel winners to leaders in the private sector who have demonstrated transformative and positive change through ethical business practices. Amid fierce price competition on its products, on 20 March 2013, the Suntech board declared bankruptcy in the wake of defaulting on US$541 million-worth of bonds, Shi had been demoted from chairman to director earlier that month. The '' Financial Times'', quoting the ''

Shanghai Securities News Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

'', reported at the time that Shi's movements were being restricted and that he was not allowed to leave China pending an investigation into his role at Suntech. By 2016, he was living in Shanghai and frequently visiting Australia. As of 2017 and 2018, Dr. Shi Zhengrong had been seen actively giving key note speeches at solar conferences and promoting the use of solar technologies in both China and overseas.Thousands of photovoltaic elites gather in Shanghai to discuss jointly the ways of innovation and development of the industry
, ''

PGO China PGO may refer to: Science and technology * Phenylglyoxylic acid, a chemical * Ponto-geniculo-occipital waves, found in the thalamus during REM sleep * Profile-guided optimization, a computer compiler technique Transport * PGO (Automobile), a Fren ...

'', September 12, 2018.Shi Zhengrong: vast room exists for development, innovation and application of PV products
, '' Xinhua'', September 16, 2017.Investment in solar a sure bet says Chinese pioneer
, ''

University of New England University of New England may refer to: * University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 18,000 students * University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 3,000 students See also *New England Colle ...

'', Published 17 October 2017.

Philanthropy

He has donated funds to a

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

research unit at the

University of NSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public university, public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight (Australian universities), ...

, Australia "because he felt it was not getting an appropriate level of government support", according to

Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, are a confederation of Green state and territory political parties in Australia. As of the 2022 federal election, the Greens are the third largest political party in Australia by vote and th ...

Senator

Christine Milne Christine Anne Milne (; born 14 May 1953) is an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Tasmania. She was the leader of the parliamentary caucus of the Australian Greens from 2012 to 2015. Milne stepped down as leader on 6 May 2015, ...

.'Climate of fear' in solar research
'' The Canberra Times'', 30 May 2006. Accessed 5 June 2006.

References

External links

China: the Sun King

ABC Radio National Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2. History 1937: Predecessors an ...

Shi Zhengrong: China's sunshine boy
CNN
Shi Zhengrong
Time Magazine
#396 Shi Zhengrong
The World's Billionaires 2008, Forbes
Mr Sunshine: China's solar billionaire Shi Zhengrong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shi, Zhengrong 1963 births Living people 21st-century Chinese businesspeople Australian chief executives Australian company founders Australian energy industry businesspeople Billionaires from Jiangsu Businesspeople from Jiangsu Changchun University of Science and Technology alumni Chinese chief executives Chinese company founders Chinese emigrants to Australia Chinese energy industry businesspeople Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Identical twins Naturalised citizens of Australia People associated with solar power People from Zhenjiang Renewable energy commercialization Sustainability advocates Chinese twins University of New South Wales alumni