Our article: Exploration, practice and experience and enlightenment of Sichuan's efforts to build a near-zero carbon emission park

Carrying out the pilot construction of near-zero carbon emission parks is an effective starting point for actively responding to climate change and promoting synergy between pollution and carbon reduction. It is an important manifestation of orderly promoting carbon peak and carbon neutrality and cultivating and expanding green and low-carbon advantageous industries. In April 2022, Sichuan Province issued the "Notice on Carrying out the Pilot Work of Near Zero Carbon Emission Parks" to launch the pilot construction of provincial near-zero carbon emission parks, and 17 parks were included in the pilot list.

Over the past two years, each pilot park has closely followed its goals and laid out seven task systems. It has initially formed a number of replicable and generalizable experiences in aspects such as path exploration, scenario creation, technology application, investment and financing, digital empowerment, and management mechanisms. A number of typical practice models and cases have emerged. 30% of the parks achieved a reduction in total carbon emissions and intensity by more than 20%, and 50% of the parks 'major pollutants (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) fell by more than 10%. Chengdu Science and Technology Innovation Ecological Island and Yibin Electric Heavy Truck were selected as typical cases of green, low-carbon, pollution reduction and carbon reduction by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and Sichuan Suining Anju Economic Development Zone was selected as a national collaborative innovation pilot park for pollution reduction and carbon reduction.

Strengthen capacity building and establish a long-term management mechanism for carbon reduction

Strengthen work coordination and make efforts from all parties to promote pilot construction. At the provincial level, policy documents such as the "Guiding Opinions on Coordinating and Strengthening the Pilot Construction of Near-Zero Carbon Emission Parks" have been formulated and issued to clarify the direction of pilot construction, provide research and assistance to 17 parks, and promote the implementation of pilot tasks. Some pilot parks have formulated low-carbon development plans and annual task lists, established carbon emission management agencies, and innovatively established low-carbon access lists. For example, Chengdu Science and Technology Innovation Ecological Island has formulated an access list for low-carbon enterprises, setting evaluation requirements and scores from four aspects: low-carbon concepts, low-carbon management, low-carbon facilities, and low-carbon production. Through document review and on-site verification, it evaluates and scores the proposed settled enterprises. Enterprises with higher scores will be given corresponding industrial development support policies or preferential tax policies, and enterprises with lower scores will not be admitted.

Strengthen capacity building and low-carbon publicity. Based on the types and characteristics of near-zero carbon emission pilot parks, provincial departments have innovatively formulated and issued the "Carbon Emissions Accounting Method for Near Zero Carbon Emission Parks in Sichuan Province"; organized climate investment and financing to serve near-zero carbon emission parks activities, and increased funding for energy conservation and carbon reduction, green and low-carbon industrial projects; use nodes such as National Low Carbon Day to share excellent practical cases of near-zero carbon parks. Some pilot parks have continuously improved their carbon emission accounting and management capabilities by carrying out carbon emission accounting for key enterprises, establishing carbon emission management platforms, and implementing carbon emission custody services. For example, Guangyuan Economic and Technological Development Zone has completed carbon emission accounting for aluminum-related enterprises in the park in the past three years, established a carbon emission management platform, and pioneered the "electricity to convert carbon" calculation model to realize automatic calculation of carbon emissions, helping the park's carbon emission calculation time and frequency. It has been improved from annual to daily, with a calculation accuracy of 98%.

Consolidate the foundation for carbon reduction and build and operate green infrastructure

Promote green construction and promote the construction of green buildings in the park. Some pilot parks have integrated green and low-carbon requirements into the park planning and construction process, promoted green buildings and climate-resilient buildings, and actively built high-star green building demonstration groups. Deepen the application of renewable energy buildings, promote the integrated construction of photovoltaic in new buildings, and implement the installation of solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of existing buildings. For example, Sichuan Tianfu Headquarters Business District has been actively built into a high-star green building demonstration area in accordance with the special green building plan of Sichuan Tianfu New District. The proportion of green buildings above two-star in public buildings has reached more than 80%. To build near-zero-carbon kindergartens, through six passive designs and active strategies such as the use of solar energy, the overall energy saving rate reaches more than 90%.

Develop green transportation and implement low-carbon transportation actions. The pilot park actively carries out green transformation of transportation infrastructure, promotes the construction of green infrastructure such as charging piles in an orderly manner, and installs photovoltaic panels on the roof of charging stations. Strengthen the electrification of transportation vehicles with new energy vehicles as the core, and promote the electrification of logistics and transportation vehicles such as diesel forklifts in the park. For example, the Eastern Industrial Park of Sanjiang New Area in Yibin demonstrated and implemented the "Electric Sanjiang" project, building the country's first green transportation energy port project integrating photovoltaic power generation, energy storage applications, electricity charging and exchanging, and low-carbon transportation transfer, laying out digital twin demonstrations, Smart Management Center (Three major platforms: vehicle-road collaboration, carbon brain, and energy management), 199 standard parking spaces have been set up (equipped with 100 fast charging interfaces and 480 rooftop photovoltaic panels); two heavy truck exchange stations and a 1000-kilowatt electricity energy storage equipment have been built, becoming the largest heavy truck charging and replacing station in the southwest region.

Promote energy transformation and deepen the development and utilization of clean energy. Some pilot parks have increased the proportion of renewable energy consumption through measures such as building distributed photovoltaic power generation and developing geothermal energy according to local conditions; implemented waste heat resource utilization and energy-saving transformation of key energy-consuming equipment to improve energy utilization efficiency. For example, the Chengdu Science and Technology Innovation Ecological Island Construction Regional Centralized Energy Supply Project uses low-temperature heat sources such as river water and adopts "ground source heat pump + heat source tower heat pump + chiller + water storage" technology to provide centralized cooling and heating services for office and commercial facilities in the park., achieving 100% electrification of the energy supply system.

Optimize development methods and cultivate and develop a green and low-carbon economy

Deepen pollution control and promote synergy between pollution reduction and carbon reduction. Pilot parks, especially those dominated by traditional industries, combine their own leading industries, pollutants and carbon emission levels, vigorously promote intensive conservation and efficient recycling of resources, and comprehensive utilization of waste, and coordinately promote pollution reduction and carbon reduction. For example, Xichang Vanadium and Titanium Industrial Park has implemented 5.2 billion yuan in funds, built 168 sets of energy-saving and environmental protection equipment and facilities to promote synergy and efficiency of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, and implemented pellet replacement sintering processes to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by more than 30%; More than 50 ultra-low emission transformation projects such as "Sintering Flue Gas Desulfurization and Denitrification Transformation" and "Coke Oven Gas Fine Desulfurization" have been built and operated, achieving a reduction in particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 31%, 69%, and 57% respectively, promoting The recycling rate of waste residue in ironmaking and steel-making processes has reached more than 99%, and 12 sets of wastewater treatment systems have been built to achieve zero wastewater emission.

Optimize the industrial structure and establish a green and low-carbon economic system. Industrial parks with clusters of traditional industries actively promote the green transformation of traditional industries, resolutely curb the blind development of "two highs and one low" projects, accelerate the withdrawal of backward production capacity, accelerate the "vacating cages and replacing birds" in the park, and cultivate room for green and low-carbon industries. Parks with high concentration of green and low-carbon industries are accelerating the construction of circles and strong chains in industries such as crystalline silicon photovoltaics, lithium battery materials, and power batteries. For example, Chengdu Longtan Urban Industrial Development Zone was demolished and vacated more than 100 backward enterprises in traditional industries such as printing, integrated 300 acres of land, and strived to promote the cluster development of new economic industries such as digital communications, artificial intelligence, and industrial Internet; the eastern industrial park of Sanjiang New Area in Yibin accelerated the development of the power battery industry chain, was selected as a key green and low-carbon advantageous industrial park in Sichuan Province, and won the title of "China's Power Battery Capital".

Author's unit: Zhou Xin, Sichuan Province Environmental Policy Research and Planning Institute; Wang Zhuo, Sichuan Province Department of Ecology and Environment