On the morning of February 8, tourists were endless on Dongyu Island in Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan, where the permanent site of the Boao Forum for Asia was located. One of the must-visit internet celebrity check-in points they are the photovoltaic floor tiles of the News Center, which can provide more than 12,000 clean new energy sources every year. It is also a low-carbon facility that allows tourists to see and touch the Boao Near Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone (hereinafter referred to as the "Demonstration Zone").

Starting in 2022, Hainan Province and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development plan to jointly create the Boao Near Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone in three years. Today, this island, which is famous all over the world for the Boao Forum for Asia, has become an important window to show the world China's green and low-carbon development concept, technology and practice.

According to calculations, the full-sized carbon dioxide emissions of the demonstration zone in 2024 will drop from 12,167 tons in 2019 to about 470 tons, achieving a carbon reduction of 96.2%, and will gradually approach zero.

Wang Jilong, deputy manager of the Engineering Construction Department of Hainan Qionghai Power Supply Bureau of Southern Power Grid, introduced that green electricity in the demonstration zone is produced and used by itself, and about 32 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity can be produced here throughout the year, which can meet the annual electricity consumption needs of about 17 million kilowatt-hours of the demonstration zone, and nearly half of the remaining green electricity is connected to the grid. Wang Jilong said that the demonstration zone also includes agricultural and light complementary projects outside the island, which can supply 300 tons of green fruits and vegetables to the demonstration zone.

Walking in the demonstration area, carbon reduction technology can be seen everywhere. Major buildings such as the Boao Forum for Asia International Conference Center, the Boao Forum for Asia Hotel, and the Dongyu Island Hotel all use smart curtain wall opening fans; the photovoltaic floor is shining, the "flower fan" "blooms" in the wind, and the electrified kitchen is safe and efficient... "We are scattering emissions from every detail." Zeng Youwen, chief engineer of the Hainan Branch of the China Urban Planning and Design Institute, participated in the construction of the demonstration zone throughout the process. He told the reporter of China Youth Daily and China Youth Network that the demonstration zone uses waste building materials to build a circular garden; the resource utilization of organic waste is achieved through small equipment; and the use of AI to control the start of indoor air conditioners... After this renovation, the energy consumption cost of the Boao Forum for Asia Hotel and the Dongyu Island Hotel has dropped by nearly 20% while the number of accommodations increases by 10%.

The relevant person in charge of the Hainan Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development summarized the transformation with a few "no": with the help of natural light energy and wind energy, and the application of energy-saving and energy-saving and energy-saving and energy-saving and energy-saving and energy-saving and carbon reduction, there was no large demolition and construction, no new buildings, no changes in the original architectural style and regional pattern, and no damage to the natural environment...

Walking into the operation and management center of the demonstration zone, a large screen visually presents zero-carbon results through the Internet of Things and digital twin technology. All equipment, construction and smart devices can be controlled dynamically in real time through the platform. Zeng Youwen introduced that the system can automatically monitor the use of conference rooms, hotel rooms, etc., and automatically cut off energy saving when no one uses it. "Energy saving is accumulated bit by bit."

The exhibition panel inside the demonstration zone operation management center shows that the demonstration zone has obtained the "Zero Carbon Operation Area Certification" (the first regional certification in China) issued by the German Energy Agency; it meets the relevant technical requirements of "Zero Carbon Area, Zero Carbon Building, Low Carbon Building" in the national standard "Zero Carbon Building Technical Standard" (draft for review). During the 2024 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Meeting, domestic and foreign guests fully affirmed the demonstration zone, believing that the demonstration zone is another innovative example of China in the field of green energy, demonstrating China's determination to develop green.

Benchmarking against the international advanced level, the demonstration zone actively strengthens research on relevant standards and issues the "Boao Near Zero Carbon Demonstration Zone Creation Technical Standards", which involves construction, transportation, energy and other fields, covering design, construction, acceptance, evaluation and other links, exploring effective paths for green and low-carbon development in tropical regions.

"Institutional advancement is a major focus for us at present. We want to start formulating China's zero-carbon standards from Boao." Zeng Youwen said that when foreign experts went to Boao for certification, they saw that the achievements made by the demonstration zone were already in the leading position in the international market. They recognized China's achievements in zero-carbon. "In the future, we plan to build the Hainan Provincial Green and Low Carbon Research Institute and promote the international certification of Chinese standards."

When the sea breeze in Boao swept across the photovoltaic matrix and mangroves, this "Oriental Davos" is redefining the future of zero carbon with hard-core technical standards, providing a "Boao solution" for the transformation and upgrading of the country's near-zero carbon, and also providing a "Chinese answer" for the global "near-zero carbon standards".

China Youth Daily·China Youth Network Intern Reporter Dai Yao Reporter Ren Mingchao