Indoor park combines tech with green scene

Zhang Ping has taken her son to play at the park near her home many times, but she had no idea until recently it was built using sci-tech elements with low-carbon emission aims.

The 29-year-old mother lives in the Jingxiu district of Baoding city in North China's Hebei province. The Power Valley Low Carbon City Park, which is about 2 kilometers from her home, has proved very attractive to her 2-year-old because of its playground equipment.

"We only know it's a happy and comfortable place to spend time," she said.

It's not your average outdoor park.

The site is a giant indoor facility built using photovoltaic construction materials manufactured by the Baoding Jiasheng Photovoltaic Technology. It covers 32,000 square meters and includes green space of 10,000 square meters and a 1,200－sq-m aquatic area.

"Simply put, it's made of a type of material that can be used to construct buildings and generate clean power at the same time," said Zhang Yifei, general manager of Baoding Jiasheng Photovoltaic Technology.

The park's roof and southern and eastern walls covering an area of 27,692 sq m are made of the multifunctional material.

With a capacity of 2.39 megawatts, the park has generated more than 10 million kilowatt-hours of clean electricity since it opened in 2015, the equivalent of burning 4,200 metric tons of coal, resulting in a 10,469-ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, Zhang added.

Clean power accounts for about 60 percent of the facility's annual power consumption.

"For the park to achieve carbon neutrality, we need to increase the generation of clean power and reduce electricity consumption, maybe by installing more electricity-saving lamps and reducing the use of air conditioners," he said.

Unlike ordinary parks, the facility features a botanical garden that is home to a wide range of plants that normally grow in the southern regions of the country, as well as a playground for children and a fitness center.

"The park's function is to serve as a leisure destination with good air quality both in winter and summer," Zhang said, adding that temperatures can be kept to around 20 C throughout the year to ensure that visitors can enjoy the plants whenever they choose.

The company's special material also functions as thermal insulation to help maintain comfortable temperatures in the park.

As the park is cool in summer and warm in winter, it is quite popular among local residents and receives about 2,000 visitors on an average day.

Zhang Ping and her family usually stay for about four hours during weekend visits and holidays. "You don't need to worry about the sun in summer or the cold in winter. My son likes it very much," she said.