China enjoys huge potential in the integration development of transportation and clean energy, as only less than 5 percent of the former's energy consumption comes from electricity currently.
With the world's largest high-speed rail network and highway network, as well as a large number of transportation infrastructure, China's transportation industry consumes around 17 percent of the national total energy consumption, among which more than 95 percent comes from fossil fuels.
It is expected that the electricity consumption of China's transportation industry will exceed 500 billion kWh in 2030, which will be an important direction for the consumption and utilization of clean energy.
"The integration of transportation and energy is an important direction to promote the green and low-carbon energy transition, as the transportation infrastructure can carry the development of clean energy, which has great potential, especially in the central and eastern provinces where land resources are relatively tight," said Liu Shiyu, deputy director of China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.
China's transportation infrastructure occupies 1 percent of the country's land area, and if photovoltaic facilities are installed on 20 percent of that area, it is expected that installed capacity can reach 950 million kWh, accounting for more than 10 percent of the country's total electricity consumption.
"With China's construction of smart transportation and the rapid development of new energy vehicles, the demand for energy use in transportation is growing rapidly. The integration of transportation and energy can promote the transportation industry from a traditional energy consumer to an energy producer and marketer, which provides a very feasible path for us to realize the terminal electrification of transportation and electricity decarbonization," said Xu Honglei, deputy director of Transport Planning and Research Institute under the Ministry of Transport.
China enjoys huge potential in integration of transportation, clean energy
Chinese cities, towns and villages are putting on dazzling light and lantern shows, staging distinctive folk customs performances, and holding festive mooncake banquets in celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Tuesday.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture. It falls on the 15th day of the eighth month on the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns, and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.
In the ancient city of Kaifeng of central China's Henan Province and Jinzhou City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, popular tourist attractions and landmarks are bathed in lights, promising a mesmerizing nighttime experience for local residents and tourists alike.
Beijing's famous Beihai Park, a public park and former imperial garden, is staging performances themed around bianzhong, or Chinese chime bells which has a history of over 2,000 years.
In tourist towns and villages of Yunnan Province in the southwest, Zhejiang Province in th east and Guangdong Province in the south, lively folk and dragon dances are gathering numerous locals and tourists to join in the festivities.
Audiences are enjoying a poetry recitation show in Hefei City, east China's Anhui Province, and a symphony in Zunyi City, southwest China's Guizhou Province, respectively.
This year, Suining City in southwest China's Sichuan Province and Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the northwest, have both prepared giant freshly made mooncakes enough to treat hundreds of people at a same time. And in a village of the southwestern Chongqing Municipality, people have prepared their own mooncakes on a flour ground from their newly harvested red sorghum.
"We are filled with the joy of harvest during the merry traditional festival. The festive mood is really nice," said Liu Ya, a local of Jiangjun Village in Chongqing's Bishan District.
Elsewhere, villages in Wuyuan County, east China's Jiangxi Province, are also celebrating their harvest of red pepper by drying them on the roofs. And another village in the eastern province of Shandong has recently held a large banquet for local households to share.
Outside the mainland, colorful lanterns are also dotting the various landmarks, streets and alleyways of Hong Kong and Macao, adding to the festive joy.
Celebrations held across China to mark traditional Mid-Autumn Festival
