Eco-friendly heating brings warmth to Shandong's residents

Despite the lowest outdoor temperatures now reaching below zero, residents in Ningyang county in Tai'an city – in East China's Shandong province – still feel very warm thanks to their heating supply.

In innovating its heating system, the county has utilized a diverse range of eco-friendly materials for fuel – including bark, straw, corn cobs and waste wood.

In particular, the county has increased its subsidies for the purchase of straw recycling machinery – making over 700,000 mu (46,667 hectares) of straw available to be collected, stored and transported in a centralized fashion.

"Compared with fossil resources such as coal, straw burning for heating is cleaner and more environmentally friendly, reducing heating costs by more than 20 percent," said Jia Hefeng, general manager of Guoneng Ningyang, a local biological power generation company.

The recycling of straw is also seen as being a great way to increase income for local farmers because, in the run-up to winter, the utility bought a large amount of straw from them.

At present, the county is using an ever-increasing amount of biomass such as straw as fuel for power generation and heating. (Edited by Chen Chuxuan)