Photo: VCG

 Sinopec’s first carbon-neutral gas station has been constructed in Changzhou, East China’s Jiangsu Province, Sinopec said on Tuesday. It generates power from photovoltaic power generation equipment that can meet the daily power requirement, which is a symbolic step for the industry toward achieving the country’s carbon emission reduction goals.

“The concept of putting solar panels on the roof of a gas station or other facilities has existed for several years, but this might be the first carbon-neutral gas station in China,” Han Xiaoping, chief analyst at energy industry website china5e.com, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to statistics provided by Sinopec, the gas station’s annual power requirement is 99,000 kWh, and the photovoltaic power generation equipment on the roof can generate 127,000 to 147,000 kWh of electricity in a year.

Han noted that the concept was ignored for a while due to its low efficiency but was taken seriously again recently due to the country’s carbon emission reduction drive. 

China has set a goal to achieve peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) revealed on Tuesday that detailed action plans for industries including electricity, steel and nonferrous metals are being developed. The petrochemical industry will also be involved in the plan.

Based on the estimated 25-year lifespan of its photovoltaic power equipment, the new gas station can cut emissions by 3,800 tons of carbon dioxide, 116 tons of sulfur dioxide and 56 tons of oxynitride during its lifetime, said Sinopec.

Han suggested that this technique could be implemented for gas stations and other facilities in rural areas, which could save on energy transportation. “However, the weather determines the efficiency of photovoltaic power generation and power storage techniques and equipment should be developed accordingly,” said Han.

Sinopec is aiming to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050, which will be 10 years ahead of the country’s goal, and is planning to build 900 carbon-neutral gas stations in Jiangsu Province and 7,000 photovoltaic power generation facilities nationwide during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25).

Global Times