Exploring solutions to achieve carbon neutrality in China: A comparative study of a large-scale passive House district and a Green building district in Qingdao

Abstract

Currently, there are various kinds of energy-saving buildings, which mainly include Green Buildings (GB) that are under construction in China, to reduce energy consumption & CO2 emission, and to also improve the living comfort level of people. Ten years ago, Passive House (PH) standards were introduced in China, which could operate better than GBs, in terms of energy savings and providing a more comfortable indoor living environment at the same time. This study investigates the development of large-scale PH buildings and illustrates an energy efficiency pathway to carbon neutrality based on the detailed comparison of two typical buildings including PH and GB in Qingdao, China. The main findings are that the PH district consumes only 11% of space heating required by the GB district and its technological strategies are feasible with affordable additional costs. According to the simulated results, these costs can be compensated conversely in 17 years by the saved costs during the operation cycle. This article aims to explore and propose the energy performance (mainly considering heating demand) of large-scale PHs in Northern China. Therefore, the recommended large-scale PH development contributes significantly to reaching the target of Carbon emissions peak before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 in the building sector. As an important part, the use of renewable energy is emphasized, which in integration with PHs will raise a new solution of district energy supply in the Qingdao region. This research transfers the building policy-makers and developers the information that the method of development of large-scale PH buildings is feasible, even if there will be a somewhat incremental cost. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.