Organizers of the sixth China International Import Expo, which runs from Sunday to Friday, have purchased 8 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity from East China's Anhui province via the green certificate trading mechanism, thus allowing the annual event to be fully powered by green energy for the first time in history, said the Shanghai branch of State Grid Corp of China.

The electricity generated by wind and photovoltaic power in Anhui will power all the lights, shuttle buses and equipment operated at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the venue of CIIE, in Shanghai. The renewable energy generated and sent to the grid is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,360 metric tons.

"The 8 million kWh of green electricity will not only cover the power consumed during the expo, but also cover total energy consumption at the venue throughout November, including the setting-up and moving-out periods," said Chen Chunyi, director of the trading department at Shanghai Power Exchange Center Co.

In September 2021, China launched a pilot program approving the trade of green electricity certificates. Renewable electricity producers can obtain government-issued certificates, and then sell the certificates for economic and environmental benefits. Such trading can help market players embrace green power consumption and lower carbon emissions.

In addition to purchasing green power, CIIE organizers can calculate carbon emissions produced during the venue's operating and catering activities, and through these methods, they can purchase carbon allowances to neutralize carbon dioxide emissions.

China aims to have CO2 emissions peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

With a total of 3,943 data collection sensors established across the venue and a smart system based on Internet of Things architecture, the expo is scheduled to monitor and carry out real-time analysis of the power consumption inside its venue.

"When the system shows that the venue's electrical load exceeds 40 percent, we will canvass all the load types to make sure the whole venue is operating with energy-saving conditions," said Li Wensi, senior manager of the department of equipment engineering at the NECC.

The expo's low-carbon efforts also extend beyond the venue. All shuttle buses in service for the coming edition are new energy vehicles as well, providing green public transportation for participants.

As predicted by the Shanghai branch of State Grid Corp of China, during this year's CIIE, the total charging volume of bus charging piles at the venue is expected to increase by 88.56 percent compared with 2022, and the charging volume of public charging piles surrounding the venue is expected to grow by 28.82 percent year-on-year.