China 167
to support retrofits, renovations, and/or monitoring energy use in existing
buildings over the next decade.
Green energy in the building sector and the electricity system
Green energy in thermal systems
The direction of this transition pathway highlights the potential for green
energy sources – including CHP and large- scale boilers using natural gas and
renewable energy – to reduce the need for grid- based energy supplies, which are
still highly reliant on fossil fuels. Renewable energy can be used in various forms
for thermal systems, such as capturing solar heat for space or water heating,
using biomass for heating, and heat pumps that extract heat or cold from the
ground (Casini, 2016). Additionally, buildings can be designed for natural
ventilation.
The 13th Five- Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development, issued by the
National Development and Reform Commission in 2016, set up the target for
all utilisation of renewable energy to reach 730 million tons of coal equivalent
(TCE), and all renewable energy power generation capacity reaching 680 GW,
by 2020. Among that, the heat collection area of solar thermal utilisation will
reach 800 million square metres. By 2020, all forms of renewable energy heating
and residential fuel use will replace 150 million TCE of fossil fuels. The 13th
Five- Year Plan suggested expanding the use of solar thermal energy in urban and
rural areas, actively promoting the development of solar heating technology,
and accelerating biomass heating and other non- electricity resources such as
geothermal energy for use in buildings.
The National Plan of Heating in Winter in Northern Regions 2017–2021
is a policy that promotes the green energy pathway for northern regions in
China, where heating traditionally relied on coal- burning boilers in urban
areas and small coal ovens in rural areas. The plan has required ‘2 + 26’ cities
to replace coal- fired boilers with natural gas and electricity- powered heaters
since 2018. (All the ‘2 + 26’ cities lie within the smog- plagued northern
regions, the two cities being Beijing and Tianjin and the other 26 cities
including Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi Provinces. This plan also set
up ambitious targets for clean heating: 50% by 2019 and 70% by 2021. By
2019 clean heating rates in urban areas should reach 90%, fringe areas 70%,
and rural areas 40%. By 2021, the clean heating rate in urban areas should
reach 100% (removal of all coal- burning boilers less than 30 t/h), fringe areas
80% (removal of coal boilers less than 20 t/h), and rural areas 60%. According
to the statistics from the China Ministry of Environmental Protection, over
4.7 million households in 21,516 villages in the inspected area have completed coal- to-gas or coal- to-electricity conversions, 3.94 million of which finished the replacement in 2018 (Xinhua, 2018).
However, converting to electric heating will also need to be complemented
with energy efficiency actions such as improving building insulation. Many
to support retrofits, renovations, and/or monitoring energy use in existing
buildings over the next decade.
Green energy in the building sector and the electricity system
Green energy in thermal systems
The direction of this transition pathway highlights the potential for green
energy sources – including CHP and large- scale boilers using natural gas and
renewable energy – to reduce the need for grid- based energy supplies, which are
still highly reliant on fossil fuels. Renewable energy can be used in various forms
for thermal systems, such as capturing solar heat for space or water heating,
using biomass for heating, and heat pumps that extract heat or cold from the
ground (Casini, 2016). Additionally, buildings can be designed for natural
ventilation.
The 13th Five- Year Plan for Renewable Energy Development, issued by the
National Development and Reform Commission in 2016, set up the target for
all utilisation of renewable energy to reach 730 million tons of coal equivalent
(TCE), and all renewable energy power generation capacity reaching 680 GW,
by 2020. Among that, the heat collection area of solar thermal utilisation will
reach 800 million square metres. By 2020, all forms of renewable energy heating
and residential fuel use will replace 150 million TCE of fossil fuels. The 13th
Five- Year Plan suggested expanding the use of solar thermal energy in urban and
rural areas, actively promoting the development of solar heating technology,
and accelerating biomass heating and other non- electricity resources such as
geothermal energy for use in buildings.
The National Plan of Heating in Winter in Northern Regions 2017–2021
is a policy that promotes the green energy pathway for northern regions in
China, where heating traditionally relied on coal- burning boilers in urban
areas and small coal ovens in rural areas. The plan has required ‘2 + 26’ cities
to replace coal- fired boilers with natural gas and electricity- powered heaters
since 2018. (All the ‘2 + 26’ cities lie within the smog- plagued northern
regions, the two cities being Beijing and Tianjin and the other 26 cities
including Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi Provinces. This plan also set
up ambitious targets for clean heating: 50% by 2019 and 70% by 2021. By
2019 clean heating rates in urban areas should reach 90%, fringe areas 70%,
and rural areas 40%. By 2021, the clean heating rate in urban areas should
reach 100% (removal of all coal- burning boilers less than 30 t/h), fringe areas
80% (removal of coal boilers less than 20 t/h), and rural areas 60%. According
to the statistics from the China Ministry of Environmental Protection, over
4.7 million households in 21,516 villages in the inspected area have completed coal- to-gas or coal- to-electricity conversions, 3.94 million of which finished the replacement in 2018 (Xinhua, 2018).
However, converting to electric heating will also need to be complemented
with energy efficiency actions such as improving building insulation. Many