The Weiyu Road Outlet filling station in Jinzhong, North China's Shanxi province. [Photo/Shanxi Evening News] 

The Tianjin Climate Exchange on Sept 15 awarded a carbon-neutrality certificate to the Weiyu Road Outlet filling station in Jinzhong, North China's Shanxi province, officially making it the first carbon-neutrality filling station in the province.

Invested in by the Shanxi branch of China National Petroleum Corp, the station provides Nos 92, 95, and 98 gasoline, and is equipped with three super-fast charging piles which can allow an electric vehicle to reach 90 percent of its battery capacity in about 20 minutes. 

The station utilizes 219 double-sided glass photovoltaic panels on the station's buildings and canopies to generate electricity. 

In addition to meeting the daily electricity needs of the gas pumps, convenience stores, car washes, and staff offices, these panels can supply excess electricity to directly charge electric vehicles while also seamlessly switching to the national grid. This effectively offsets the carbon emissions of the station, achieving carbon neutrality. 

Currently, the daily average electricity consumption of the station is about 403 kWh, and the photovoltaic electricity fully meets its daily electricity demand. Its annual electricity consumption is about 148,176 kWh. 

By generating solar power, the installed photovoltaic panels will help the station reduce the amount of power produced by buring coal. It is expected to burn 18.23 fewer metric tons of standard coal and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 110 tons. 

The station will also plant 59 trees a year to absorb more toxins from the air.