Current situation of carbon emission from rural residences in Northern China and strategy for low carbon operation

Abstract

The rural population in northern China accounts for 42.43% of the total rural population in China, and rural residences in this region emit about 330 million tons of CO2 per year, accounting for 56.7% of total carbon emission in rural areas of China. Reducing carbon emissions from rural residences in northern China is an important way to achieve zero carbon. In response to the lack of research on rural carbon emission, we investigated the carbon emission factors of primary energy and electricity applicable to rural residences, and calculated the carbon emission intensity of rural residences in 15 provinces in northern China and the carbon emission intensity of each energy utilization system. Based on the obtained results, we designed low-carbon operation schemes and verified the operation effects by simulation with a typical rural residence as the research object. This study shows that the annual total carbon emission of northern rural residents during operation is 492 million tons, with an average annual carbon emission intensity of 47.32 kgCO2/m2 for commercial energy and 40.91 kgCO2/m2 for fossil energy. The carbon emission intensity corresponding to outlets, domestic hot water equipment, lighting system, and cooking and heating system are 3.17, 0.70, 0.51 and 57.97 kgCO2/m2, respectively. The typical rural residence emits 4.20 tons of CO2 per year, with a carbon emission intensity of 60.08 kgCO2/m2. After adopting the electric heating scheme, the annual CO2 emission is reduced by 1.9 tons, and the carbon emission intensity is reduced by 45.28%. After adopting the “building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) + electric heating” scheme, the annual CO2 emission is reduced by 3.5 tons, and the carbon emission intensity is reduced by 82.39%. The main energy source is optimized from coal to electricity, and 68% of the energy demand is met by renewable energy sources. This study can provide a basis and guidance for optimizing the energy structure of rural residences and reducing their carbon emissions.