The 19th Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, will be the first-ever to achieve carbon neutrality in the history of the Games.
The goal is to use both solar and wind energy, transmitted from China’s northwest via ultra-high voltage transmission power lines, to power the venues in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.
1. Carbon-neutral
More than a dozen “zero carbon” engineers are working to make the upcoming 19th Asian Games the first carbon-neutral one in history. “I work as a ‘zero carbon’ engineer at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centers, the main venue for the Hangzhou Asian Games,” told Lai Hanbin to Chinese media Global Link. Among many other functions, Hanbin’s work is to calculate the energy consumption of the venues and to encourage them to participate actively and trade energy. To achieve this goal, the team developed a digital platform called “Dual Carbon Brain” explains Habin. The innovative tool allows them engineers to optimize energy usage and emissions reduction.
“As a ‘zero carbon’ engineer, I help monitor the venue’s daily energy consumption using the platform. We also regularly analyse the energy usage and operation of these venues and offer optimized energy solutions,” explained Hanbin. So far, the green electricity trading for the Hangzhou Asian Games has reached 621 million kilowatt, equivalent to saving 76,000 tons of standard coal.
2. Asian Games
The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years, bringing together athletes from countries across Asia. The competition is recognized as the second-largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games and it aims to foster friendship, promote sporting excellence, and showcase cultural diversity among Asian nations.
Typically, the Asian Games take place in different cities across Asia, with the host city being selected through a bidding process. The event requires extensive infrastructure, including stadiums, arenas, and athlete accommodations, to accommodate the participants and spectators.
