Zero-carbon village: Dongmen Village embarks on the road to wellbeing

Zhangye City in northwest China's Gansu Province is the main area for ecological conservation in the Qilian Mountains, an important shield for ecological security in the western part of the country.

Zhangye has made great efforts to restore the ecological environment, actively looked for ways to increase the market value of environmentally friendly products, practiced the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and blazed the trail in prioritizing the ecological environment and pursuing green development.

He Jijiang, executive deputy director of the Research Center for Energy Transition and Social Development at Tsinghua University, told CGTN that Dongmen Village in Shandan County, Zhangye City, has a climate that is characterized by strong solar radiation, high sunshine duration and large temperature differences between day and night.

Central heating services were available before 2023. However, as coal prices continued to rise, the local heating company suffered long-term losses and stopped providing heating to Dongmen Village in 2023.

Local farmers had to use coal-fired stoves for heating, but things have changed lately. According to He, each family that paid $322 for central heating before can save around $42.3 to $70.5 in electricity bills every year by using a heat pump. "The conversion of coal to electricity can reduce carbon emissions," He added.

He said that photovoltaic companies and the village invest a certain amount of money to install photovoltaic panels to promote the use of electricity for heating. "Installing photovoltaic panels on villagers' roofs protects the environment and reduces air pollution," He said.

(All photos provided by He Jijiang, executive deputy director of the Research Center for Energy Transition and Social Development at Tsinghua University)