Dissemination workshop in Xintai. Copyright GIZ 2019.
On 27 November, the project organised a workshop for local government officials in the city of Xintai in Shandong Province. During the workshop, the results and main recommendations from a low-carbon heating plan for rural areas of Xintai were presented. The plan was formulated in close coordination with Xintai’s administration by a group of Chinese consultants with the support of German consultants from Fraunhofer Institute. Representatives of both consultant groups attended the workshop. Four rural areas of Xintai were proposed by Xintai’s government as pilot areas to work with. The plan contains concrete measures to reduce carbon emissions from heating and gives estimates of the associated costs. It also puts special emphasis on measures that can be realised in the short term.
The main measures proposed in the report are switching supply from dispersed coal to air source heat pumps, district heating and biomass, while at the same time conducting energy efficiency measures. These range from the refurbishment of existing buildings with wall, ceiling and roof insulation to the introduction of a high energy saving standard for new buildings. The report states that through the transformation of heating in rural areas, Xintai City can reduce CO2 emissions by 377,000 tonnes during the 2022 heating period and improve air quality. The plan proposes planning, monitoring and steering mechanisms to guide implementation, as well as a range of financing mechanisms such as government investments, PPPs, and low-interest loans. Mr Wang Yexun, Director of the Xintai Development and Reform Commission, thanked the expert team for the plan and said that Xintai City will carry out specific work on heating in rural areas in accordance with the measures and the technical route proposed in the plan. During the meeting, Mr Gerhard Stryi-Hipp from the Fraunhofer Institute emphasised the importance of retrofitting rural houses.
