The scale of renewable energy building applications in North China's Shanxi province is continuing to expand, with the solar thermal building application area reaching an area of 49.39 million square meters, according to the Shanxi Department of Housing and Urban-rural Development on July 6.

Over the 2016-20 period, the proportion of annual renewable energy applications in new buildings in Shanxi exceeded 50 percent.

In the 2021-25 period, Shanxi will encourage the use of photovoltaic systems in large public buildings and buildings with near zero energy consumption and the use of new energy heating technologies in rural areas and small buildings. Geothermal energy application will be promoted.

The province will promote the implementation of building electrification projects and increase the proportion of clean electricity consumption in building energy consumption.

For instance, the province will promote the application of heat pumps, cold storage air conditioners, and thermal storage electric boilers in large urban shopping malls, office buildings, and hotels.

In addition, the province plans to promote building planning and design technology based on direct-current power supply, as well as efficient clean energy utilization technologies such as urban wind power and geothermal heat.