"The economic investment in the construction of the new energy system is estimated to be less than tens of millions of yuan, but the benefits are multi-faceted and long-term. ”
Text / Ba Jiuling (WeChat public account: Wu Xiaobo channel)
It is hard to imagine that there is such a restaurant in Beijing: there are eight stationary bicycles at the entrance and in the lobby, which can generate electricity for cycling, and the electricity can be directly used for wireless charging of mobile phones; there are abundant greenery upstairs and downstairs, with two green walls, large fortune trees, a row of potted plants, etc., full of greenery; most of the building materials and equipment, from seats to tiles and ceilings, from LED lights to air conditioners and fresh air systems, are made of recycled materials, recyclable and energy-saving.
Source: Photographed by minibus
Walking into the McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store, you can find that there are four fixed bicycle places at the entrance and in the lobby, which is perfect as a place for rest and games - when riding, the McDonald's big logo can shine, many people stop here to chat, children and teenagers are usually attracted and try, until the light is filled with the big logo. A female student talked to the minibus about her impression of the store and said with a smile: "High-tech!"
Source: Photographed by minibus
In the face of the greenery full of the store and the introduction of the low-carbon green of the store everywhere - in the restaurant on the second floor, the text and labels on the glass and wooden walls have specific descriptions of the material sources and energy-saving efficiency of charging bikes, restaurant seats, ceilings, tiles, lighting systems, fresh air systems, air conditioning systems - it is easier to immerse and relax the people who work here, a school tutor sighed to the minibus.
If you look at it from a distance, people are more likely to be attracted by the irregular appearance of the angular and wide opening and closing, which is obviously more open and larger than the design of the average store. This is because it has more than 2,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the third floor. They are the source of green electricity for restaurants, supporting the store's annual electricity consumption of 330,000 kWh.
Minibus recently investigated the "first zero-carbon restaurant in the Asia-Pacific region" McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store, which shows the radical measures to promote ESG in the development of Chinese catering enterprises under the macro goal (according to the "Research Report on Low-carbon Action Guidelines for Catering Businesses": the average annual growth rate of carbon emissions in the catering industry from 2017 to 2021 is 13.9%, higher than the national average growth rate of carbon emissions of 6.04% in the same period), which is full of originality and imagination.
*ESG: An emerging investment philosophy and corporate evaluation standard that reflects the level of corporate environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance.
Are "zero-carbon" restaurants the new restaurant trend?
"Why is your company's ESG rating so bad?"
This is already the latest standard for A-share companies by discerning stockholders.
According to media statistics, from 2021 to 2023, the number of questions and answers on ESG on the two major online interactive platforms increased from 112 to 2,140, an increase of nearly 20 times.
Today, the total number of e-interactive questions and answers on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange has reached 3,810 and 2,832 respectively.
Achieving carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 are the green development goals that the mainland has committed to the outside world.
*Carbon peaking: Greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide peaking. Carbon neutrality: Net emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are zero. It mainly absorbs and offsets greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide through afforestation, the development of new energy, energy conservation and emission reduction, etc., to achieve relatively "zero emissions".
At the corporate level, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) has developed into an important assessment criterion for enterprises. Listed companies generally disclose ESG development reports, and domestic and foreign rating mechanisms have been formed. For example, the "ESG Action Report of China's Listed Companies (2022-2023)" by MSCI, an international authoritative index institution, shows that most A-share companies are not ideal, with B and C ratings accounting for more than 95%.
According to the most special green screen at the entrance of the lobby of McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store, which displays "cumulative power generation", "cumulative electricity consumption", "power generation of the day", "electricity consumption of the day", "equivalent to the number of trees planted" and "equivalent to the number of tons of emission reduction", it can be seen that the power generation on that day is 677 kWh, while the electricity consumption on that day is only 374 kWh.
McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store has a cumulative power generation capacity of nearly 527,000 kWh, and the electricity consumption is slightly higher than the power generation capacity of 555,000 kWh. This is due to the weak light intensity in spring, and the power generation is slightly higher than the electricity consumption throughout the year, that is, the "zero carbon" goal has been achieved.
Source: Photographed by minibus, April 7
As a result, McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park has become the first catering project in the world to obtain LEED zero-carbon and zero-energy certifications. The most critical requirement for LEED Zero Energy certification is that the building is energy self-sufficient through 100% on-site clean energy.
In addition to the above features and design, Yang Yajie, manager of McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store, told the minibus that this store is no different from other McDonald's stores in terms of staff training, service standards, product categories, and standards.
So, what about the cost and benefit? Let's look at the cost first. According to Liang Haijing, chief development officer of McDonald's, in terms of fixed investment, this restaurant is about 2-3 times that of ordinary stores.
"It's not just zero-carbon reasons, the most important thing is that the building area is very large, with three floors, huge terraces, and all the photovoltaic panels on the façade are some additional investments (the advantage is that there is no need to pay additional electricity bills, and the remaining electricity will be fed into the national grid), and the cost will be much higher. Liang Haijing said. Larger PV panels and larger building volumes are the result of two sides of the same coin, otherwise it is difficult to support power generation.
In terms of the flow of people, the flow of people on weekdays is not much, for example, when the minibus goes to the afternoon of the first day after the Qingming holiday, the restaurant on the second floor is temporarily closed, because the first floor is still full of people. However, Yang Yajie, the store manager, told the minibus that the flow of people on weekends and holidays is 3-4 times that of usual, and they support the main traffic of this store (including the fact that it is located in the famous scenic spot of Shougang Park and has become a special scenic spot, and many Internet celebrities and parents will come to check in because of its "zero-carbon" characteristics). Or because of this, the store has 30 employees, which is not a small number.
Source: Photographed by minibus
As for revenue, Yang Yajie's store manager revealed to the minibus: "It is at the upper middle level in McDonald's stores in Beijing. ”
It cannot be denied that the Western-style catering giants represented by McDonald's often have a special and different mental status in the history of urban consumption in China.
For example, on April 23, 1992, McDonald's opened its first store in Beijing - Wangfujing Restaurant, as the largest single McDonald's store in the world at that time, it was a symbol of fashionable and high-end catering, representing the imagination of people in the early days of the market economy, so much so that it became one of the symbols of Beijing pop culture in the 90s of the last century.
Even in today's developed restaurant industry, McDonald's still enjoys the catering mentality of urban crowd landmarks, hygiene and reliable taste. And can the unique store innovation of McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store still capture the minds of consumers who are "zero-carbon" restaurants or green restaurant landmarks?
Source: Photographed by minibus
What does a wharf that wants to be a power station look like?
It is also the world's first, compared with the restaurant, another zero-carbon project investigated by the minibus a few days ago - the "world's first zero-carbon terminal" of the world's eighth largest port, the intelligent container terminal in the north section of Tianjin Port in northern Xinjiang, has more impact.
In the past three years, the diversity of the entire ecology near Bohai Bay has been greatly improved compared with the previous two years, and many fish that have not been seen have appeared, which proves that the environment here is becoming more and more friendly. A relevant person in charge of Tianjin Port introduced the minibus.
Speaking of this, everyone present was very happy, as if countless dolphins were jumping and shining in Bohai Bay.
Why? Just a few large wind turbines have been erected at the busy and logistics-lifeline of the large port terminals.
Before the port of Tianjin, there was no precedent in the world.
The truck transporting containers is unmanned, the operation instructions are independently judged, and the whole process of pulling goods, steering, speed control and charging can be automated, and the yard and bridge of the container yard do not need to be operated by workers on duty in three shifts in the machine room 30 meters above the ground, and can be controlled by the remote keyboard while sitting in the office.
The wharf is characterized by the addition of several large wind turbines that are generally seen in the mountains and grasslands, forming a unique scenery with the wharf, and the ships operating on the shore no longer emit billowing black smoke and unbearable noise, and its diesel generators have stopped working and are replaced by clean power supply provided by the wharf.
Source: Photographed by minibus
During the investigation, the minibus also encountered the double "unfriendly" treatment of level 4 winds and 10 degrees Celsius temperature, but the appearance and rotation of two large white wind turbines in the distance gave people spectacular comfort.
"They [the world's other major ports] are mainly focused on the efficient use of energy, the electrification of equipment, and they are fragmented and unsystematic. The staff at the pier said to the minibus.
It is reported that 13 large-scale wind turbines have been erected in Tianjin Port, and the construction of 24 large-scale wind turbines will be completed by the end of the year, in addition to some photovoltaic projects. At present, the total installed capacity of new energy is 68 megawatts, generating 150 million kilowatt hours a year, except for the intelligent terminal in section C of the Beijiang port area, which can completely use green electricity (85% of the power generation of the two wind turbines is enough for self-consumption), the overall power generation has accounted for 25% of the annual electricity consumption of Tianjin Port. By the end of the year, the power generation capacity will be doubled to 300 million kilowatt hours, accounting for more than 50% of the annual electricity consumption of the main electricity consumption units of Tianjin Port.
Under such a trend, Tianjin Port will not only be a port, but will build a new power room or power company, with the ability to export green electricity.
The following can also prove that the vision of Tianjin Port is not far away: due to the demonstration effect of Tianjin Port's world's first, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, the world's largest port, has fully copied and caught up, building 7 large wind turbines. The world's fourth-largest ports, Qingdao Port and Beibu Gulf Port, as well as the overseas Port of Singapore, are also accelerating the implementation of wind power systems, and it is not an exaggeration to say that there will be a global "green navigation corridor" in the future.
Ningbo Zhoushan Port
Some people may be confused, when standing on the dock or port, it is easy to feel the wind blowing in the sea, why no one has thought of developing wind power before?
In fact, it is not difficult to develop wind power, especially in China. China's wind power equipment output accounts for more than half of the world's total, and the industrial chain and technology are very mature. And among the top ten ports in the world, China accounts for seven. Port + wind power seems to be a logical fit.
But when these two scenes that Chinese are most familiar with and good at are combined, many problems emerge. Combined with the statements of many interviewees of Tianjin Port Group, it is:
◎ First, whether natural conditions such as wind and sunlight are sufficient to develop green energy needs to be demonstrated.
◎ Second, the impact of site selection and port construction and operation area, as well as the surrounding civil construction, airport, military, and road facilities, also need to be demonstrated one by one.
◎ Third, biological related issues such as whether the site selection interferes with the flight trajectory of birds or is affected by birds need to be studied.
◎ Fourth, the overall equipment related to wharves and ports needs to be updated and iterated, such as changing the purchase of fuel equipment to the purchase of electrical equipment as much as possible, such as unmanned charging trucks.
Fifth, the construction of wind power systems at the wharf is a new thing, and it needs to be subject to strict approval by the government at all levels.
"The really difficult thing is the 0-1 process, no one has ever done this thing, and people are easy to worry about the impact on safety, environmental protection, and production. One interviewee said.
Source: Photographed by minibus
In this process, the economic investment in the construction of new energy systems is "estimated to have not exceeded tens of millions of yuan" (respondents), but the benefits are multi-faceted and long-term:
▶ ▷ 1. The overall investment in the intelligent terminal in Section C of the Beijiang Port Area has decreased by 17% compared with the traditional automated terminal.
▶ Second, it breaks the traditional wharf impression of "high energy consumption and high pollution", and is attractive and appealing to other ports around the world that pay more attention to environmental protection issues, developed countries and regions to develop foreign port business and ship port operations. In particular, ships arriving at the port can use the green electricity at the terminal (free of charge for the past two years, but this year it will be charged) and reduce black smoke pollution and noise hazards.
▶ Third, promote the harmonious coexistence of people, the working environment and natural creatures.
What is the path for ESG to transform China, and what are the main difficulties at present?
Does ESG mean a quiet and profound change that has a wide and profound impact on businesses and society?
Summarizing the above two of the most pioneering ESG projects in China and most of the other ESG projects, the commonalities can be observed as follows:
◎ First, the key is to develop and use new energy systems, including photovoltaic and wind energy, in order to partially or completely solve the problem of the source of clean energy.
Despite the rapid development of new energy in the world, according to the "2023 Domestic and Foreign Oil and Gas Industry Development Report", in 2023, global fossil energy consumption will still account for 79.7% of total primary energy consumption, and data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows that fossil energy accounted for 82.5% of China's energy consumption in 2022.
◎ Second, the electrification of equipment is the main starting point after solving the problem of new energy sources.
In this regard, the catering industry and other C-end oriented scenarios have a high degree of electrification, while the heavy industry scenarios represented by ports and terminals need to be reborn according to local conditions.
Source: Photographed by minibus
◎ Third, the popularization and application of energy-saving building materials, equipment and systems is a conventional and continuous means of upgrading.
This has been developed and popularized to a large extent in various regions, industries, office buildings and even residential houses, and the difference lies in the depth and breadth of application in different fields.
Of course, there are also issues of noteworthy and long-term concern.
For example, the issue of sustainable development. Whether it's McDonald's zero-carbon restaurant (which opened in September 2022) or the terminal in Section C of Tianjin Port, it is still a new thing that has only been born for two or three years.
For example, the minibus went to the third floor of the McDonald's Beijing Shougang Park store, which is not open to the public, and visited 2,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels. According to one person in charge, it is often difficult to clean up when covered with snow or dust, and more often it is natural snow melting or cleaning.
Another example is the issue of the old renovation project. It is natural for new projects to focus on the development of low-carbon and zero-carbon projects, which can promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the long run, and can bear short-term cost pressures.
Xu Wei, president of the China Institute of Building Environment and Energy, analyzed the minibus: from the perspective of residential costs, the construction cost per square meter of ultra-low energy consumption buildings is about 500 yuan more expensive than the existing mandatory national standard, and the construction cost per square meter of public buildings is about 1,000 yuan more expensive than the existing mandatory national standard, and the gap will continue to narrow in the future.
However, the vast majority of old buildings and old wharves are the most difficult, and they are also the fundamental starting point for determining China's future dual carbon or ESG appearance.
"Old and small" is one of them. Data show that there were 20 billion square meters of buildings before 2000, 20 billion square meters before 2010, and 25 billion square meters after 2010 to the present.
Xu Wei also said to the minibus: "It is not a problem that can be solved by a single real estate industry, and it must be broken through from all levels of the country, development and reform, finance, taxation, housing and construction." ”
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has estimated that to achieve carbon peak by 2030, 3.5 trillion yuan will need to be invested in the next 10 years. Another agency estimates that 20 trillion yuan will be needed to achieve carbon neutrality.
Visiting McDonald's and Tianjin Port projects is a novel and thought-provoking experience for the minibus. Fortunately, they have become the "Internet celebrity" phenomenon of the catering industry and the port industry, and have also won the "double ring" of word-of-mouth and efficiency.
Now there is still a "flat ground thunder" left for the old renovation project.
The author of this article | Limpo | Editor-in-Charge | He Mengfei
Editor-in-Chief | He Mengfei | Image source | VCG