Take the lead in the country! Wuxi's "Double Carbon" Pilot Zone Anchors "Low Carbon" and Pursues "Green" in a Comprehensive Way

Source:Wuxi New Media

Recently, the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development announced the 2023 Provincial Urban Rural Development Special Fund (Green Building) project. The "Double Carbon" Pilot Zone of Xidong New City in Wuxi City (hereinafter referred to as the Pilot Zone) has been successfully approved as one of the first batch of "Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Pilot Zones for Urban and Rural Construction" in Jiangsu Province. This is the first time in Jiangsu Province to carry out the construction of the "Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Pilot Zone for Urban and Rural Construction" in the country this year. Wuxi City is the first to anchor low-carbon "going green" in the form of a pilot zone. The Provincial Department of Finance and the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development will arrange special funds to support the construction and development of pilot areas, helping to embark on the path of comprehensive green development.

The "dual carbon" pilot area of Xidong New City is located in the core area of Xidong New City, with a total planned area of 1.97 square kilometers. It is a comprehensive development area that covers multiple functions such as office parks, cultural and sports buildings, green communities, and green villages. In the construction process of "pursuing greenery", the pilot area will build high-quality green and low-carbon buildings, explore near zero carbon emission demonstration parks, promote the coordinated development of intelligent construction and building industrialization, and promote the green and low-carbon development of villages, striving to take the lead in achieving carbon peak in urban and rural construction by 2028.

Set practical and feasible low-carbon construction goals based on gradients and levels. According to relevant personnel from the Xidong New City Housing and Construction Bureau, the pilot area plans to implement a total area of 1.07 million square meters of green buildings, of which 23% are newly built with ultra-low energy consumption and near zero energy consumption; 100% of the buildings are designed and constructed according to green building standards of two star or above, with three-star green buildings accounting for 66%. All creation indicators are higher than the application assessment requirements, with a renewable energy substitution rate of 12%, a rooftop photovoltaic coverage rate of 60%, and a building electrification ratio of 65%.

How will the path of creation be "greener and lower carbon" in the next three years? The goal of 'zero carbon, green, smart, and livable' will be anchored, "said the relevant person in charge of the Xidong New City Business District Management Committee. The beautiful" dual carbon "vision will also rely on innovative practical paths. The pilot area will create a pilot project of "green agricultural houses+photovoltaic villages", forming a replicable and promotable application technology system; Promote the innovative development of green finance and green industry, and carry out financing channels such as green credit and government special bond investment; At the same time, we will explore carbon quotas and green electricity trading mechanisms, study new building structural systems, form industrial clusters, and create a "Wuxi New Living Room, Low Carbon Science and Technology Innovation City" that integrates innovation, vitality, friendliness, and quality.

In the competition for the "dual carbon" track, the Municipal Party Committee and Government attach great importance to it. Wuxi has always maintained a leading position in building energy conservation and green building work in the province with an "accelerated pace", laying a solid foundation for winning the first batch of "pilot zones" created. At the municipal level, green and low-carbon development documents such as the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting Comprehensive Green Transformation of Economic and Social Development and Doing a Good Job of Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality" have been issued, clarifying the timetable and roadmap for implementing the "dual carbon" policy. Taking the lead in implementing green building standards of two star or above for all newly built civil buildings in the province; The proportion of urban green buildings in newly built buildings has remained 100% for five consecutive years. Large public buildings and high-quality residential buildings with over 20000 square meters of newly built units in the city have achieved full coverage of the "Three Star Green Building" initiative, and 19 "smart" projects have been selected for the provincial construction industry modernization demonstration and creation list.

The construction field is a major carbon emitter, and with the creation of the first pilot zone, the construction drawings of Wuxi's "zero carbon city" are gradually becoming clear. The relevant person in charge of the Municipal Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau said that in the process of fully implementing the green urban-rural construction action under the carbon peak goal, the pilot zone has provided a "precise model" for the continuous "dual carbon" construction in Wuxi. The next step is to take the construction of the pilot zone as an opportunity, adhere to technology leadership, vigorously promote the construction of high star green buildings, ultra-low energy buildings, and near zero energy buildings, and comprehensively promote the transformation of urban-rural construction towards green and low-carbon directions.

"In order to achieve a true sense of low-carbon, green buildings need to develop in a continuous way, integrate into the regional environment, and form a low-carbon scale effect." Experts in the industry suggested that when promoting the construction of several major functional areas, such as Lihu Future City and Liangxi Technopole, they would accelerate the overall planning and regional improvement, and promote scientific and technological innovation and diversified project construction through the preparation of special green plans and the formulation of relevant supporting policies, Create more low-carbon demonstration zones with the aim of forming a "dual carbon" urban scale effect.

It is reported that in 2020, Wuxi City took the lead in proposing the goal of building a "zero carbon city" nationwide. In April of this year, the Notice of the Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development on Organizing the Application of the 2023 Provincial Special Fund for Urban and Rural Development (Green Building) Project was issued. Wuxi City, with the municipal government as the main applicant, was personally led by the municipal leaders in charge, and the Municipal Housing and Urban Rural Development Bureau, Xishan District, Xidong New City and other departments were vertically linked to carry out the application. After a series of material review and on-site defense, it has been approved as expected recently. It is worth mentioning that in this application project, a total of 12 projects in Wuxi City have won the provincial demonstration projects for improving the quality of green buildings and improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings, with the number of demonstration projects ranking first in the province.