Chapter 4: Analysis
4.3 Indicator Analysis
4.3.5. Renewable Energy
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the eco-city. In 2010, only 11 out of 129 buildings were meeting the appointed consumption for energy and water. One year later, out of 280 buildings 18 buildings were conforming to the target goals.168 Meanwhile this assessment report hasn’t been commented on by the SSTEC Investment and Development Ltd CEO Ho Tong Yen.
Even though at that time the first citizens had been moving into their residences and the project was still at its early stages, it’s clear that the determined targets haven’t been met on the scale which they were supposed to. An assessment report at that time was a perfect tool in order to figure out obstacles and problems which probably should have been solved since. Clearer goals and regular checks and evaluation would be helpful in order to maintain high goals, especially in order to regulate the water and energy consumption which is easily influenced by personal use. Again appropriate education as well as use of the newest and adjusted technologies may make it possible to achieve those aims.
4.3.5. Renewable Energy
The term renewable energy, sometimes referred to as “green energy” or “green power” is one of the main references when comparing and speaking about eco-cities in the western hemisphere. After Germany’s abandonment of nuclear power until 2022 and its plans to heavily invest into renewable energy, some said these are utopian objectives, but since traditional (conventional) energy sources are limited, eventually we will run out of traditional energy sources.
168 Green Prospects Asia. “Acid test for Tianjin Eco-City rating system.” Accessed May 21, 2014.
http://www.greenprospectsasia.com/content/acid-test-tianjin-eco-city-rating-system.
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According to projections about 80 percent of the energy demand will be accounted for by residential (46 percent) and commercial buildings (34 percent), the remaining 20 percent will be used to cover the energy used for transportation systems and local industry in the eco-city. To cover this high energy use the eco-city has established plans that by the year 2020 at least 20 percent of the energy consumption for the eco-city will be covered by renewable energies.169 If the renewable energy demand can’t be accounted for by the eco-city itself and its energy producing facilities, the necessary renewable energy will be imported from nearby regions. The remaining 80 percent of conventional energy sources will mainly be powered by combined heat and power plants in Beijing and Tianjin. Due to the fact that this energy supply is a mix of different types of energy which doesn’t provide the opportunity to choose between the energy sources, it is rather hard to select a more environment-friendly energy (in this case e.g. nuclear power)170 to supply the energy demand for the city.
The heating and cooling for about one fourth of the total space of the Tianjin eco-city will be covered by means of local geothermal energy and heat pumps.
The total renewable energy used in the eco-city will be divided into 69.1 percent geothermal energy, which will be mainly used for heating and cooling, whereas 30.7 percent will be covered by solar energy; the remaining 0.2 percent will be produced through wind turbines. Solar power will help provide energy for hot water preparation and the street lighting.171
However, the high usage of geothermal energy is by no means just a matter of chance: at the end of 2011 Tianjin was home to 349 geothermal wells. About 5
169 Plans suggest that 15 percent of China’s energy should be covered by renewable energy sources.
170 Not referring to nuclear power as a safe or more environmental-friendly solution (due to the nuclear waste) but it doesn’t produces direct CO2 emissions in the same amount as oil or coal.
171 Baeumler, Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, 28.
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percent of the geothermal energy is used for the central heating systems in the city. Still, it has more potential, shown in the SSTEC. In the eco-city a ground source heat pump is used for covering the central heating and cooling processes in the buildings, resulting in more energy-saving than other conventional solutions. Plans in the eco-city are aiming for a system of supplying energy, which can easily be extended and enlarged in order to add new and conventional energy sources. It is expected that geothermal energy and terrestrial heat will continue to be used as a main energy source in the eco-city and the region itself.172
China is putting its efforts in mitigation of negative impacts of climate change.
Even though the country is building new coal-fired power plants, since 2006 close to 100 GW of power plants have been decommissioned as a result of inefficiency; 173 it is not limiting China’s high demand for coal usage, but at least the government is trying to use newer, more efficient plants. According to researchers, China’s coal demand will decline slowly around 2035, leading to the conclusion that in the long term involved companies have to rethink their strategies.174 If China really wants to continue this trend and try to establish its technology and approaches towards green technology and constructions not only by the largest amount of money at a global level (US$20 billion) invested in that area, but also via a resulting industrial, economic and possible ecological pioneer role it has to learn and apply the newest and most efficient technologies.
E.g. the Chinese cement industry improved its energy efficiency and reduced
172 Green Prospects Asia. “Tianjin Eco-City exploits its geothermal resources.” Accessed June 1, 2014.
http://www.greenprospectsasia.com/content/tianjin-eco-city-exploits-its-geothermal-resources.
173 IEA, International Energy Agency. “Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2014.” 2014, 8. Accessed May 25, 2014.
174 IHS. “China’s Coal Market Not the “Promised Land” for International Suppliers.” Accessed May 25, 2014.
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energy usage by 30 percent between 1998 and 2009, but is still 30 percent less effective and efficient than the global best practices.175
China is currently acquiring 9 percent of its energy from renewable energy sources, with proposed targets of at least 11.4 percent by 2015 and 15 percent in 2020. China is already the leading manufacturer of solar photovoltaic cells on a global scale and also features most installed wind and hydropower facilities.
The country’s investments in renewable energy have increased up to US$ 65 billion in 2012. About 18 percent of China’s renewable energy is produced by means of hydropower, making use of large-scale hydroelectricity projects and small-scale hydropower plants.176
The location of the Tianjin Eco-city is suitable to make use of the geothermal energy resources, but as China’s prevailing influence and strong market in hydro- and wind power it is questionable why those energy sources won’t be used on a bigger scale, which would give the eco-city a little bit more independency and self-supply. Caofeidian Eco-city is located close to the ocean similar as the Tianjin Eco-city which has equivalent conditions, however according to plans Caofeidian Eco-city’s renewable energy will mostly be provided by offshore wind power turbines.177According to plans renewable energy should account for about 95 percent of the total energy, thereby trying to
175 Chen, Shiyi, and Jane Golley. “Will Chinese Industry Ever Be ‘Green’?” In China: A new model for growth and development. Edited by Ross Garnaut, Fang Cai and Ligang Song, 251–66. Canberra, Australia: ANU E Press, 2013, 262-63.
176 Moch, Jonathan. “Renewable Energy In China: An Overview.” Accessed June 3, 2014, 1-2.http://www.chinafaqs.org/files/chinainfo/ChinaFAQs_Renewable_Energy_Overview_0.pdf.
177 Ma, Qiang. “Eco-City and Eco-Planning in China: Taking an Example for Caofeidian Eco-City.”
Amsterdam, 2009. Accessed May 28, 2014,
518.http://www.ifou.org/conferences/2009delft/proceedings/4%20Urban%20Technologies%20and%20 Sustainability/full%20papers/C023_Ma_Qiang_Eco-city%20and%20%20Eco-Planning%20in%20China-Taking%20An%20Example%20for%20Caofeidian%20Eco-city.pdf.
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create a climate-neutral city.178 Even though it is a desirable target and would gain pioneer status once the city actually reached such an extraordinary ratio of renewable energy is not worth discussing: the project currently has ground to a halt.179 If this is a realistic value which is possible to be obtained remains unknown.
It might be possible that the TEDA didn’t want to influence or interrupt the important shipping and freight trade as a result of offshore wind turbines. But the Caofeidian Eco-city is also constructed on a deep-water coast between two port areas; conservation of nature shouldn’t be a plausible obstacle because an offshore wind farm wouldn’t affect the wetland rehabilitation of the eco-city. The usage of geothermal energy also has to remain in accordance to the wetland preservation and rehabilitation of the Eco-city.
Considering China’s ambitious plans of reaching a ratio of 15 percent of renewable energy in its total energy consumption, Tianjin’s Eco-city renewable energy usage seems comparatively minor. But the fact that Tianjin Eco-City’s development plans define at least 20 percent doesn’t mean that this indicator can’t be raised after the completion of the eco-city.
In some sources it is stated that the eco-city will make use of 100 percent clean energies, stating gas and nuclear power as clean energies due to the fact that there is no direct CO2 emissions, however besides the targeted 20 percent usage of renewable energy, the rest of the energy sources will be a mix, on site inquiry confirm that it is currently not possible to report that the remaining 80
178 SWECO. “Caofeidian International Deep Green Eco-City: Nine Themes of Planning.” Accessed June 15, 2014. http://www.sweco.lt/Global/Lithuania/Sectors/Caofeidian%20_Sustainable%20City_Sweco.pdf.
179 Xie, Liangbing. “Big Dreams And Ghost-Town Fears In China's New Mega Eco-City.” Accessed June 14, 2014. http://www.worldcrunch.com/impact-smarter-cities/big-dreams-and-ghost-town-fears-in-china-039-s-new-mega-eco-city/tianjin-eco-city-environment-pollution-sustainable/c15s13841/.
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percent are so-called “clean energies” because it is not possible to identify and select the energy which is obtained from outwards power plants.180 The contribution process is currently unable to make a selection of the chosen energy supply.