Clean-energy utilization technology in the transformation of existing urban residences in China

Abstract

Clean-energy substitution technology for existing residential buildings in cities is an inevitable choice for sustainable development and low-carbon ecological city construction. In this paper, the current status of energy-saving renovation and renewable-energy applications for existing residential buildings in various cities in China was summarized by using statistical methods. The geographical distribution of clean-energy power generation in primary energy production in China was explored in depth. According to different climatic divisions for existing urban residences, clean-energy production and consumption were analyzed and predicted based on the STIRPAT model. The results show that the energy consumption of urban residential buildings in 2016 increased by 43.6% compared with 2009, and the percentage of clean energy also increased from 7.9% to 13.4%. Different climatic regions have different advantages regarding clean energy: nuclear power generation leads in the region that experiences hot summers and warm winters, whereas wind and solar power generation lead in the cold and severely cold regions. The present results provide basic data support for the planning and implementation of clean-energy upgrading and transformation systems in existing urban residences in China.

Enhancement Mechanism of Minerals on Lignite–Water Molecule Interactions

“…1 Currently, more than 90% of the refined lignite in China is used to generate electricity via combustion. 2 Lignite contains a high concentration of oxygen-containing functional groups, a complex pore structure, and a large number of mineral ions, resulting in its high water content and higher sensitivity to spontaneous combustion. After upgrading, lignite becomes more prone to absorb water, which reduces its calorific value and increases its storage and transportation costs, 3−5 causing substantial safety and economic problems for coal-related industries.…”

“…Among them, more than 50% of the country’s total coal resources include lignite and low-metamorphic bituminous coal . Currently, more than 90% of the refined lignite in China is used to generate electricity via combustion . Lignite contains a high concentration of oxygen-containing functional groups, a complex pore structure, and a large number of mineral ions, resulting in its high water content and higher sensitivity to spontaneous combustion.…”

Experimental Research on Heating Transfer Improvement of Materials that Change Phase in Tunnels in Cold Regions

“…With phase shift heat storage technology, solar energy can be used for tunnel heating systems, which can effectively reduce heating energy consumption [1]. owing to the benefits of an excessive heating storage concentration and a temperature that remains constant [2][3][4][5], phase change materials have become a research hotspot, making it have broad application prospects [6][7][8][9][10] in the fields of "peak shifting and valley filling" [11][12][13], waste heat recovery [14][15][16], industrial and civil building heating [17][18][19][20], and solar heating system [21][22][23][24][25]. Besides, the main disadvantage the poor heat capacity of the phase change heating storage system conductivity leads to a low rate of heat absorption and release, so it is essential to strengthening heat transfer in most heat storage systems.…”

Emerging natural and tailored perovskite-type mixed oxides–based catalysts for CO2 conversions

“…The rapid development of society and the economy has led to the huge demand for global energy (Vignieri, 2020). Although renewable energy resources such as tidal, geothermal power, wind, and solar have emerged in recent years, traditional fossil fuels including coal, oil, and natural gas are still dominant within the energy portfolio (Li 2021;Zhao et al, 2021). The high reliance on fossil fuels is accompanied by massive greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, mostly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which brews a potential threat to the ecological environment and human health (Roy et al, 2018).…”

“…As a result, a series of global action plans such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21, Paris, 2015), and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have accentuated the imperativeness to diminish CO 2 emissions by at least half of the current amount by 2050 (Roy et al, 2018;Hussain et al, 2021). China has come up with the target to reach a "carbon peak" by 2030 and be "carbon neutral" by 2060 in carbon dioxide emissions (Wang et al, 2020;Li 2021;Zhao et al, 2021). Therefore, the conversion and utilization of waste CO 2 emissions into highervalue commodities while mitigating climate change has drawn great attention, which is critical for a sustainable future (Ye et al, 2019a;Sun et al, 2020;Ye et al, 2020).…”