Once a secluded fishing village, Dongyu Island is now home to rows of wind turbines that harness wind energy and convert it into electricity. The sky shines bright and clear, as solar panels, photovoltaic curtain walls, and photovoltaic floor tiles gleam under the sun, providing a continuous supply of green electricity.
On March 26th, the 2024 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference was held as scheduled. A week prior, on March 18th, the Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone officially began operations. As one of the four main implementing entities of the demonstration zone, CHN Energy has taken on the construction of six major carbon reduction projects covering renewable energy utilization, green transportation transformation, and green building renovation. These projects span multiple fields including energy, transportation, informatization, and intelligence, creating a comprehensive smart energy system that integrates photovoltaics, light wind, electrochemical storage, and charging piles.
Overcoming Challenges to Accelerate "Green" Development
Dongyu Island, the permanent site of the Boao Forum for Asia, is uniquely located where three rivers meet the sea, surrounded by water on all sides. Since 2022, the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee, the Hainan Provincial Government, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development have decided to create a near-zero carbon demonstration zone on Dongyu Island over three years (2022-2024), to showcase China's green, low-carbon development concept, technology, and practices to the world.
CHN Energy fully utilized its integrated advantages, actively applied to participate in the construction of the Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone, formed a joint task force, and developed an implementation plan for the demonstration zone. After several rounds of selection, the group successfully became the investment implementation entity for several projects within the zone in October 2022, covering distributed photovoltaic power generation, agriculture-photovoltaic complementary projects, and green transportation projects on Dongyu Island.
Digital Intelligent Techniques for a Greener Foundation
In March, Boao's clear blue skies, green landscapes, and vibrant nature highlight the area's vitality. On Dongyu Island, many green and low-carbon details implemented by the State Energy Group are particularly striking. For example, seven green smart parking lots on the island use rooftop solar panels to directly power new energy vehicles, while flexible charging adjusts the island's electricity use, linking vehicles with the building energy management system.
Other innovations include 66 sets of smart comprehensive light poles that integrate photovoltaic lighting, video surveillance, environmental monitoring, and information dissemination, equipped with advanced management and control modules for smart monitoring and control. The Boao Forum for Asia Hotel features a "breathing" curtain wall that not only saves energy and reduces emissions but also significantly improves indoor comfort; its corridors and guest room balconies are fitted with cadmium telluride thin-film photovoltaic glass, providing both shading and power generation.
The News Center combines rooftop photovoltaics, facade photovoltaics, and plaza photovoltaic floor tiles to collect solar energy, while nearby low-speed start-up flower wind turbines gather wind energy. These green energy sources are integrated with the "photovoltaic-storage-direct flex" system to provide ample electricity for the News Center, making it one of China's most comprehensive and highly regulated direct current demonstration projects.
Innovative technologies developed by CHN Energy, such as a multi-dimensional smart energy control platform, advanced direct current mutual aid modes, and the application of the Group's proprietary all-vanadium liquid flow long-duration storage system in Hainan's building photovoltaic-storage-direct flex system, are pushing the boundaries of long-duration energy storage and low-carbon building applications.
On the outskirts of the island, photovoltaic panels are arranged in square arrays like fish scales, continuously supplying green clean energy to the demonstration zone. Beneath the panels, various styles of agricultural greenhouses teem with life, growing a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables introduced in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences.
The rooftop generates power, and beneath it, crops are grown in an agriculture-photovoltaic complementary model. The greenhouses use a high-standard precision drip irrigation system, saving about 70% of water compared to traditional irrigation methods, providing a new path for Hainan's innovative agricultural development and creating multiple job opportunities to help local farmers increase their income. The agricultural-photovoltaic complementary project outside the island serves as a model and benchmark for similar projects in the province, receiving high praise from the provincial government and relevant departments.
The application of various innovative technologies aims to maximize energy conservation and carbon reduction. The State Energy Group's external agricultural-photovoltaic project and internal distributed photovoltaic project are expected to generate an average annual electricity output of about 30 million kWh, saving approximately 8,912 tons of standard coal each year.
Participating in the construction of the Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone reflects CHN Energy's commitment to integrating the concept of ecological civilization with high-quality development. The Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone, located in a tropical maritime climate with high temperature, humidity, and salinity, presents unique challenges in transforming and upgrading existing buildings and areas without significant demolition and construction while maintaining harmony with existing architectural styles and preserving the area's characteristics. Through the construction process, the State Energy Group has made significant explorations, accumulated valuable experience, and achieved commendable results.
"This indicates that the creation experience of the Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone is replicable and scalable," said a responsible person from CHN Energy Hainan company. For example, the construction of the Boao Near-Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone applied innovative technologies such as photovoltaic direct flex, virtual power plants, and all-vanadium liquid flow, which can be applied to urban renewal and green carbon reduction in China.
