With the arrival of holidays, major scenic spots have seen an unprecedented surge in visitors. It's worth noting that while this large-scale travel has occurred, many scenic areas across China are also undergoing quiet transformations.
In recent years, with the recovery and development of the tourism industry, more and more cities have begun to develop and upgrade their regional scenic spots. Especially under the influence of the "dual-track development" goals, low-carbon development has become a crucial part of the transformation and upgrading of many scenic spots.
Particularly with the rapid growth of new energy vehicle travel in recent years, the supporting facilities in scenic spots from earlier years can no longer meet the new demands of tourists. At the same time, new energy sources such as photovoltaics, energy storage, and charging piles are becoming ubiquitous in various scenic spots.
Photovoltaics have become a new standard feature in scenic spots!
In February of this year, the launch ceremony for the "Green Electricity + Cultural Tourism" pilot project in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture was held in Dali Ancient City. This marked the full implementation of the province's first pilot project covering all core scenarios of "Green Electricity + Cultural Tourism." This event was led by the Yunnan Dali Power Supply Bureau of China Southern Power Grid, in conjunction with the Dali Prefecture Energy Bureau, the Dali Prefecture Culture and Tourism Bureau, the Dali Prefecture Commerce Bureau, the Dali Prefecture Education and Sports Bureau, and the Dali Prefecture Fire and Rescue Bureau.
It is worth noting that this "green electricity + cultural tourism" pilot project is not a single entity's action, but a systematic project involving government-enterprise collaboration and multi-party cooperation, achieving a win-win situation for local development, power supply companies, and cultural tourism operators.
Regarding power supply, the pilot project will promote a diversified supply model of "municipal power + distributed photovoltaic + energy storage," deploying mobile energy storage devices in areas with concentrated electricity consumption to improve power supply reliability and green electricity self-sufficiency during peak tourist seasons, thus solidifying the hardware foundation for a first-class power supply service benchmark in an international tourist city.
In Fujian, Meizhou Island, a national 5A-level scenic spot, is revitalizing itself with new energy sources such as photovoltaics.
It is understood that since 2022, with the goal of creating a "near-zero carbon island," green renovations have been carried out on existing buildings throughout the island. This includes the renovation of 48,026 square meters of the permanent site of the Meizhou Island Mazu Cultural Forum, the renovation of 243,000 square meters of 486 guesthouses, the renovation of 4,678 square meters of sewage treatment plant, and the photovoltaic renovation of 7,300 square meters of existing buildings.
2100 kW of solar photovoltaic power has been applied in sewage treatment plants, parking lots, passenger terminals, and other locations, generating approximately 2.73 million kWh of electricity annually and saving 1.365 million yuan in electricity costs annually.
Currently, Weizhou Island has achieved fully green electricity operation of its sewage treatment plants by installing photovoltaic systems on rooftops and treatment pool surfaces. Existing buildings are undergoing integrated photovoltaic retrofitting, employing "photovoltaic-storage-direct-flexible" technology for multi-domain electricity substitution. Air source heat pump water heater coverage in guesthouses has reached 90%, and electrified kitchen coverage has reached 100%. The surrounding landscape environment of existing buildings has been improved, with the island's green coverage rate reaching 62.66%. In 2023, carbon emissions were reduced by 25,000 tons, accounting for 60% of the island's total carbon emissions.
Furthermore, based on Weizhou Island's existing conditions, more than 20 green and low-carbon technologies have been introduced, including air source heat pumps, integrated photovoltaic systems, building shading, energy-saving windows and doors, and new power systems. Various wind power and photovoltaic products are used, such as flower-shaped wind turbines, photovoltaic floor tiles, photovoltaic louvers, photovoltaic curtain walls, and wind-solar hybrid streetlights. Meanwhile, combining Mazu culture and Putian residential architectural styles, BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) colored photovoltaic systems were constructed on the wharf buildings and the West Ring Road.
Last year, in the Nanshan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area of Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu's first "zero-carbon" charging microgrid for scenic areas was officially put into operation in Liyang City. Using a "photovoltaic-storage-charging-load synergy" green energy model, it precisely targets the pain points of Nanshan Bamboo Sea's "distance from towns and weak charging infrastructure," injecting low-carbon vitality into the holiday economy.
The microgrid project's intelligent energy regulation and management platform can also monitor the end-point load in real time and achieve coordinated operation of "photovoltaic-storage-charging-load" through algorithms, improving the local consumption rate of photovoltaic green electricity. The charging station is equipped with 173 charging piles of various types, with a rated charging power of 4725 kilowatts, a nine-fold increase compared to the original charging capacity. Meanwhile, the photovoltaic carport, with a total installed capacity of 1,120 kilowatts, can output 1.2 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually. Combined with 12 energy storage systems with a total capacity of 1,440 kilowatts, it can meet the year-round green electricity charging needs of vehicles in the scenic area, achieving essentially "zero-carbon" operation during the charging process.
It is understood that, to date, Changzhou City has built 9 near-zero-carbon industrial park microgrids, 7 near-zero-carbon factories, and 126 microgrid projects.
The benefits of photovoltaics are not limited to large 5A-level scenic areas; some 4A and 3A-level small and medium-sized scenic areas, and even service areas along the way, have already begun to show signs of photovoltaics.
Just this May Day, the upgrading project of the Meixian Service Area in Baoji, Shaanxi Province, was officially put into operation. The project is located on the G30 Lianyungang-Horgos Expressway in Meixian County, Baoji, Shaanxi Province, covering a total area of 291.39 acres. The site is divided into two major sections: the North Zone and the South Zone. The construction content mainly includes the hardening of the service area, the construction of a new comprehensive service building, the supporting construction of the zero-carbon service area, and the improvement of greening.
This project integrates photovoltaic (PV) power, energy storage, wind power, and smart management technologies. It utilizes building rooftops, parking sheds, and surrounding idle land to install PV modules, achieving a stable 24-hour green electricity supply with an annual power generation capacity of 3.01 million kilowatt-hours.
The project establishes a domestically leading "source-grid-load-storage" smart energy management platform, enabling visualized intelligent energy dispatch and carbon accounting throughout the entire process. It also includes integrated PV, energy storage, and charging new energy service facilities, ensuring 100% renewable energy usage for all energy-consuming equipment in the service area.
This project is the first "zero-energy building" demonstration project for a comprehensive service area building in Northwest China, achieving an annual building energy saving rate of ≥35%, 100% electrification rate, and over 100% renewable energy utilization rate.
