Driving sustainable energy from the car


Solar charging station 3D model (3d_molier International 2019)

According to a report by China Business News in January 2022, Hangzhou has become a leader in China's new-energy vehicle industry (China Business News 2022).

This situation is probably achieved because Hangzhou is one of the clustering areas of China's internet industry, which has numerous technological resources to offer. Moreover, as China's internet market is close to saturation, many companies are keen to expand their influence and increase their benefits in the physical industries. In this context, new-energy vehicles have become a good choice. They do not need to challenge traditional vehicle industries' existing technology, experience and brand status and can be strongly supported by the local government.

This leads to a debate about whether new-energy vehicles could facilitate sustainable energy development in Hangzhou. This article takes a positive view of this. Although more than 30% of Hangzhou's electricity supply comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas (), purely electric vehicles are still more environment-friendly than traditional vehicles. The increased use of new energy vehicles could reduce the demand for fuel in transportation, which helps improve the structure of the energy market. Also, some of the possible technologies in new energy vehicles can be applied to sustainable energy, such as battery technology to store electricity generated by wind turbines.

However, new-energy vehicles may also have adverse effects. Electric cars will increase the demand for electricity. At this stage, Hangzhou's sustainable energy industries are still lacking in production and skills, which may result in an insufficient electricity supply. Thus, it may increase the consumption of fossil fuels to cover the increased demand. Hangzhou is currently attempting to combine car charging stations with solar photovoltaic panels but is presently unable to have a large-scale application. Overall, planners considering implementing a new sustainable measure or promoting new technology must consider local realities and develop an adaptable strategic plan.

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