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Zhuxiaohui, a village in the Xiangfudang Innovation Center in Jiashan county, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, is China's first zero carbon village.

In the village, renewable energies such as wind energy, geothermal energy, solar energy, biomass energy and hydrogen energy complement each other to achieve carbon balance, said Shen Lei, chief engineer of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies.

The buildings' annual electricity consumption in Zhuxiaohui is about 1.18 billion kilowatt-hours, but the power generation of photovoltaic panels on buildings' roofs has reached 1.2 million kWh per year.

In addition, the total power consumption of electric vehicles in the village is about 100,000 kWh per year, while wind power and other photovoltaic equipment generate about 100,000 kWh per year, achieving a balance between electricity consumption and power generation.

To achieve zero carbon emissions in the village, construction waste generated from the demolition of buildings is used as decorative material for new buildings. All sewage and wastewater will be recycled and discharged after treatment. Kitchen waste disposed of completely locally through biodegradation, and all other domestic waste is classified, collected, treated and reused.

Meanwhile, about 400 mu (26.7 hectares) of farmland has been irrigated through technical means, reducing water irrigation needs by 50 percent and carbon emissions by 20 percent.

Zhuxiaohui has become a scientist community. Fifteen teams, including the China Eco-city Academy, the Soil Center of the Ministry of Ecological and Environment, and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, have set up operations there to explore relevant technologies and methods for low-carbon ecological urban areas.

Wind power generation equipment in Zhuxiaohui village, Jiashan county, Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]