ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2012

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

1. ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

China Recycling Energy Corporation (the “Company” or “CREG”) was incorporated on May 8, 1980, under the laws of the State of Colorado. On September 6, 2001, the Company re-domiciled its state of incorporation to Nevada. The Company, through its subsidiaries, Shanghai TCH Energy Technology Co., Ltd (“Shanghai TCH”) and Huahong New Energy Technology Co, Ltd (Huahong), provides energy saving solution and services, including selling and leasing energy saving systems and equipment to customers.  On March 8, 2007, the Company changed its name to “China Recycling Energy Corporation” from “China Digital Wireless, Inc.”

On February 1, 2007, the Company’s subsidiary, Shanghai TCH, conditionally entered into two top gas recovery turbine systems (the “TRT”) projects, each evidenced by a joint-operation agreement, with Xi’an Yingfeng Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (the “Yingfeng”). TRT is an electricity generating system that utilizes exhaust pressure and heat produced in the blast furnace of a steel mill to generate electricity.

Under these two Joint-Operation Agreements, Shanghai TCH and Yingfeng jointly pursued a top gas recovery turbine project (the "TRT Project") that was to design, construct, install and operate a TRT Project for Zhangzhi Iron and Steel Holdings Ltd. (the “Zhangzhi") and Xingtai Iron and Steel Company, Ltd. (the “Xingtai”), respectively. These two projects were completed and put into operation in February and August 2007, respectively. Xingtai power generation system reached maturity of the lease term in January 2012, and the system was transferred to Xingtai.

On October 31, 2007, Shanghai TCH entered an asset-transfer agreement with Yingfeng. The terms and conditions of this agreement required the transfer of all electricity-generating related assets owned by Yingfeng to Shanghai TCH. As a result, the contractual relationships between Shanghai TCH and Yingfeng under the TRT Project Joint-Operation Agreement on April 8, 2007 were terminated.

In November 2007, Shanghai TCH signed a cooperative agreement with Shengwei Group to build two sets of 12MW pure low temperature cement waste heat powered generator systems (“CHPG”) for Shengwei’s two 2,500-tons-per-day cement manufacturing lines in Jing Yang and for a 5,000-tons-per-day cement manufacturing line in Tong Chuan.  At the end of 2008, construction of the CHPG in Tong Chuan was completed and put into operation.  On June 29, 2009, construction of the CHPG in Jing Yang was completed and put into operation.

On April 14, 2009, the Company incorporated a joint venture (the “JV”) with Erdos Metallurgy Co., Ltd. (the “Erdos”) to recycle waste heat from Erdos’ metal refining plants to generate power and steam, which will then be sold back to Erdos. The name of the JV is Inner Mongolia Erdos TCH Energy Saving Development Co., Ltd (the “Erdos TCH”) with a term of 20 years. Total investment for the project is estimated at $79 million (RMB 500 million) with an initial investment of $17.55 million (RMB 120,000,000). As of December 31, 2012, Erdos contributed 7% of the total investment of the project, and Xi’an TCH contributed 93%. According to Xi’an TCH and Erdos’ agreement on profit distribution, Xi’an TCH and Erdos will receive 80% and 20% of the profit from the JV, respectively, until Xi’an TCH receives the complete return of its investment. Xi’an TCH and Erdos will then receive 60% and 40% of the profit from the JV, respectively. When the JV expires, Xi’an TCH will transfer its equity in the JV to Erdos at no cost.

On April 18, 2009, Erdos TCH signed a Cooperation Agreement with Erdos to recycle heat from furnaces of Erdos Metallurgy’s metal refining plants to generate power and steam, which will then be sold back to Erdos Metallurgy. According to the contract, Erdos TCH will install a group of power generation projects with a total of 70MW power capacity, which may expand up to 120MW, and 30-ton steam per hour, with an estimated total investment of $79 million (RMB 500 million).  The construction of the projects was split into three phases, two power generation systems in Phase I with a total of 18MW power capacity, three power generation systems in Phase II with a total of 27MW power capacity and one power generation system in Phase III with 25MW power capacity.

At the end of 2009, Erdos TCH completed the first 9MW power station of Phase I of the project and put it into operation.  Phase I includes two 9MW units for a combined 18MW power capacity. In March of 2010, the Company completed the second 9MW capacity power station and put it into operation. Pursuant to the Co-operation Agreement and the supplement agreements signed between Erdos and Erdos TCH, Erdos shall purchase all the electricity and steam to be generated from the JV’s power generation projects.

On December 10, 2010, Erdos TCH entered into a supplementary agreement with Xi’an Huaxin Energy Tech Co., Ltd (the construction contractor) to change the Erdos Phase II project of four 9MW waste heat generation systems to three 9MW systems, and to move the fourth 9MW waste heat generation system into Phase III of the project; as a result of entering into this supplementary agreement, the construction costs decreased from $37.4 million (RMB248 million) to $28.1 million (RMB186 million) for Phase II.  In the first quarter of 2011, the Company completed all three 9MW power stations of Phase II and put them into operation. On September 13, 2012, the Company terminated the Phase III power generation system construction due to termination of refining plant construction by Erdos as a result of changing business development strategy (See Note 6).

On September 30, 2009, Xi’an TCH delivered three 6MW capacity Waste Gas Power Generation (“WGPG”) systems to Shenmu County Jiujiang Trading Co., Ltd. (“Shenmu”) pursuant to a Cooperative Contract on Coke-oven Gas Power Generation Project (including its Supplementary Agreement) (“Cooperative Agreement”) and a Gas Supply Contract for Coke-oven Gas Power Generation Project.  The terms of these contracts are for 10 years, and state Xi’an TCH will recycle coke furnace gas from the coke-oven plant of Shenmu to generate power, which will be supplied back to Shenmu.

On December 31, 2011, Xi’an TCH entered into a Repurchase Agreement for the Coke-Oven Gas Power Generation Project (the “Repurchase Agreement”) with Shenmu. Under the Repurchase Agreement, Shenmu will purchase the set of 18MW capacity power generating systems (the “Systems”) from Xi’an TCH and pay outstanding energy saving service fees of $3.08 million (RMB 19.44 million) to Xi’an TCH within three working days from the date of the Repurchase Agreement. Xi’an TCH will transfer the Systems to Shenmu for $18.75 million (RMB 120 million) (the “Repurchase Price”) to be paid in three installments within 180 days. In June 2012, the Company received the full payment of outstanding energy saving service fees and system repurchase price, and, as a result, ownership of the Systems was transferred to Shenmu and the Cooperative Contract was terminated.

On January 20, 2010, Xi’an TCH entered into a Technical Reconstruction Letter of Intent with Xueyi Dong (“Dong”) a natural person with Chinese citizenship for Xi’an TCH reconstructing and transforming a Thermal Power Generation Systems owned by Dong into a 12MW Biomass Power Generation System (the “Biomass Systems” or “BMPG”) for $2.2 million (RMB 15 million), which was paid by Xi’an TCH to Dong. After the transformation of the system, Xi’an TCH entered into a Biomass Power Generation Asset Transfer Agreement with Dong on June 29, 2010.  Under the Transfer Agreement, Dong transferred the Biomass Systems to Xi’an TCH, and Xi’an TCH was to pay Dong $14,705,900 (RMB 100,000,000) for the systems, including RMB 20,000,000 in cash and RMB 80,000,000 in shares of the Company’s common stock. The exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and Chinese RMB in connection with the stock issuance was 1:6.8.  During 2011, the Company had paid the cash portion and issued 2,941,176 shares of common stock for payment of RMB 80,000,000 in shares, in connection with this transaction, the Company, recorded a gain on settlement of the debt of $8.3 million.

On June 29, 2010, Xi’an TCH entered into a Biomass Power Generation Project Lease Agreement with Pucheng XinHengYuan Biomass Power Generation Co., Ltd. (“XHY”).  Under this lease agreement, Xi’an TCH leased this same set of 12MW biomass power generation systems to XHY at a minimum of $279,400 (RMB 1,900,000) per month for 15 years.

On September 30, 2010, Xi’an TCH delivered to Zhongbao Binhai Nickel Co., Ltd. (“Zhongbao”) a 7MW capacity Waste Heat Power Generation (“WHPG”) system, an integral part of the facilities designed to produce 80,000 tons of nickel-alloy per year according to the recovery and power generation of waste heat agreement with Zhongbao, a nickel-alloy manufacturing joint venture between Zhonggang and Shanghai Baoshan Steel Group established in June 2009.  Total investment in this project was $7.8 million (RMB 55 million). The waste heat agreement with Zhongbao has a term of nine years and provides that Xi’an TCH will recycle waste heat from the nickel-alloy rotary kilns of Zhongbao to generate power and steam, which will be supplied back to Zhongbao. In addition, Xi’an TCH is responsible for applying for the Clean Development Mechanism (“CDM”) under the Kyoto Protocol.  Net proceeds from any CDM credit will be distributed between Zhongbao and Xi’an TCH at 60% and 40%, respectively.  As of December 31, 2012, Xi’an TCH had not yet commenced the CDM application process.

On March 15, 2011, the Company incorporated a new wholly owned subsidiary Pingshan County Shengda Energy Technology Co., Ltd (“Shengda”). Xi’an TCH was required to contribute cash of $4,559,271 (RMB 30 million) into Shengda as initial registered capital. In accordance with and pursuant to a Recycling Economy Projects Cooperative Framework Agreement entered into by the Company and Xi’an TCH, Shengda was organized for the purpose of undertaking waste energy recycling projects from a steel and chemical company located in Pingshan County. However, final terms for the projects were not reached, and, as a result, Shengda is not currently operational. In September 2012, Shengda was liquidated and deregistered.

On May 25, 2011, Xi’an TCH entered into a Letter of Intent with Shenqiu YuNeng Thermal Power Co., Ltd. (“Shenqiu”) for Xi’an TCH to reconstruct and transform a Thermal Power Generation System owned by Shenqiu into a 75T/H Biomass Power Generation System for $3.5 million (RMB 22.5 million). The project commenced in June 2011, and was completed in the third quarter of 2011. On September 28, 2011, Xi’an TCH entered into a Biomass Power Generation Asset Transfer Agreement with Shenqiu. Per the Transfer Agreement, Shenqiu sold to Xi’an TCH a set of 12MW biomass power generation systems, effectuation of such sale occurring after Xi’an TCH converted the system for biomass power generation purposes.  As consideration for the biomass power generation system, Xi’an TCH agreed to pay Shenqiu $10,937,500 (RMB 70 million) in cash in three installments within six months upon the transfer of ownership of the system. As of December 31, 2012, all of the consideration had been paid. On September 28, 2011, Xi’an TCH and Shenqiu also entered into a Biomass Power Generation Project Lease Agreement (the “Lease Agreement”).  Under the Lease Agreement, Xi’an TCH agreed to lease the set of 12MW biomass power generation systems to Shenqiu for $286,000 (RMB 1,800,000) per month for 11 years. Upon completion of the Lease Agreement, ownership of this system will be transferred from Xi’an TCH to Shenqiu at no cost.

On October 8, 2012, Xi’an TCH entered into a Letter of Intent for Technical Reformation of Shenqiu Project Phase II with Shenqiu for technical reformation to enlarge the capacity of the Shenqiu Project Phase I. After the reformation, the generation capacity of the power plant is increased to 24MW. The project commenced in October 25, 2012 and expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2013. The total cost of the project is $10.82 million. During the construction period, Xi'an TCH stopped charging Shenqiu rental fees.

On June 13, 2012, Huahong, a subsidiary of the Company, obtained preliminary approval from Department of Commerce of Shaanxi Province to reduce its investment from $10 million to $5 million and its registered capital from $10 million to $2.5 million.

In October 2012, the Company deregistered its subsidiary Huaxin due to its inactivity.