To create an all-factor zero-carbon village, Yucun is doing just that

Yucun is located in Tianhuangping Town, Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. On August 15, 2005, he was appointed Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party CommitteepracticeNear-flatDuring the inspection in Yucun, he explained for the first time the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Since then, Yucun has been committed to transforming the advantages of ecological resources into economic development advantages, and has become a model of China's beautiful countryside.

At this stage, Yucun is focusing on the goal of creating the country's first all-factor zero-carbon village, and is comprehensively upgrading from "lucid waters and lush mountains" to "zero-carbon rich land" green and high-quality development. In 2021, Yucun became one of the first batch of low (zero) carbon pilot villages in Zhejiang Province. Yucun seized the opportunity of the pilot project, actively implemented the concept of "two mountains + dual carbon", focused on green and low-carbon development, and created the first all-factor zero-carbon village. In 2022, Yucun was selected as a typical green and low-carbon case by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and was recognized as a "green, low-carbon, and common wealth" low-carbon village.

The first all-regional, all-factor, zero-carbon village plan was completed. Yucun integrates the "double carbon" plan into modern rural construction, explores Yucun's "two mountains + double carbon" initiative, benchmarks the five net zero transformation areas of construction, transportation, municipal, energy and agriculture, and launches a number of action plans involving public governance and low-carbon life, such as zero-carbon digital intelligence, zero-carbon buildings, zero-carbon transportation, zero-carbon municipal, zero-carbon energy, zero-carbon parks, and zero-carbon scenic spots, and formulates and completes the country's first zero-carbon rural planning "China Yucun Zero-carbon Rural Construction Plan 2022-2035". transportation and lifestyle, etc. In 2023, on the basis of the zero-carbon village plan, Yucun will compile the "Evaluation Standards for Zero-carbon Villages", incorporate the "dual carbon" strategy into the overall layout of future rural development, and propose to strive to achieve carbon neutrality in Yucun village area by 2027.

The first zero-carbon building digital intelligence energy-saving infrastructure was completed. In January 2023, the first rural carbon-neutral building "Yucun Impression" was opened in Yucun, and the country's first platinum-level rural carbon-neutral building certification was obtained. "Yucun Impression" is renovated from an old factory building, which reduces energy consumption through the building's own energy-saving optimization, and uses a photovoltaic power generation system to offset the building's carbon emissions. Without consuming coal, oil and external electricity, and the annual energy consumption of the building is provided by the site's internal renewable energy, the annual carbon reduction of "Yucun Impression" is 28.58 tons/year, which will offset the embodied carbon emissions in the production and transportation of building materials, construction, and demolition and disposal year by year. It is estimated that by 2027, the total carbon emissions of buildings will be -4.68 tons, which will meet the goals of zero-energy consumption and zero-carbon buildings, reach a carbon-neutral state, and will achieve carbon-negative operation every year in the future, becoming a carbon-negative project. The building is powered by a photovoltaic power generation system laid on the roof and a "photovoltaic tree". In the zero-carbon park next to the "Yucun Impression", three photovoltaic trees store the energy absorbed by the photovoltaic panels during the day and use it for lighting at night. On average, 1 PV tree can collect 1,825 kWh of electricity throughout the year. "Yucun Impression" provides a research and study of carbon neutral buildings in rural areaspracticemarks a new stage of green and low-carbon development in Yucun.

The first "green electricity" green certificate transaction was concluded. In August 2023, Yucun reached a "green electricity" transaction of 6.212 million kWh of electricity and purchased 2,878 green certificates, equivalent to 2.878 million kWh of electricity, equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 2,869 tons, realizing the supply of "green electricity" in the whole area of Yucun, and becoming an important step for Yucun to enter an all-factor zero-carbon village. "Green electricity" from Ningxia, Heilongjiang and Anhui will be sent to Yucun in Zhejiang Province through the Lingshao DC transmission project and the power grid in East China, promoting the promotion of Yucun's zero-carbon rural energy sector. Relying on the green power trading mechanism, the full coverage of green energy in 429 households in Yucun has been realized. Through the "Carbon Cube" energy control system, it was applied to the construction scenario of "zero-carbon village" in Yucun, and the cumulative carbon emission was reduced by 35,733.33 tons. Yucun uses the flat roofs of public buildings to plan thin-film solar power generation systems, promote the integration of renewable energy generated into the power grid, and improve energy self-sufficiency. Optimize the layout of the charging and swapping network, promote new energy vehicles to the countryside, build the first "village-to-village" demonstration site in Yucun, and build 9 fast charging piles, with a cumulative charging capacity of 156,000 kWh. We will build a future rural green power service center, so that the masses can enjoy convenient and high-quality power services, and the "technology + electricity" model will promote the countryside to move towards the "intelligent era".

The picture of a zero-carbon future is taking shape. Yucun took the lead in putting forward the development concept of "zero-carbon scenic spots" and built the country's first rural zero-carbon park. Green and low-carbon has become a way of life, and the village takes new energy sightseeing vehicles, bicycle riding, and walking as the main tourist transportation modes. A number of interactive devices have been installed in the scenic area to guide villagers and tourists to practice low-carbon behaviors. Smart devices can monitor the data of walking and cycling, and convert them into personal carbon credits, which can be converted into money for eating, living, traveling, shopping, and entertainment in scenic spots. Intelligent AI voice trash cans and photovoltaic trash cans prompt villagers to classify garbage, and obtain corresponding points for correct classification. From green energy use to zero-carbon life, Yucun is once again leading the way in guiding the green consumption of the whole society.

From "demonstration of thousands of villages, renovation of 10,000 villages" to "boutique of 1000 villages, beauty of 10,000 villages", and then to the new stage of "future of 10000 villages, common prosperity of 10,000 villages", what has changed in Yucun is to improve the rural living environment, improve rural infrastructure, develop new forms of beautiful economy, and systematically implant zero-carbon equipment. The all-factor zero-carbon rural construction in Yucun has become a new benchmark for Chinese-style rural modernization that demonstrates the harmonious coexistence of man and nature.

Author's Affiliation:Party School of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee