Residents in the smart, ecological town of Huifengxi, a newly built settlement in Binhai New Area, are leaders in environmentally sustainable living, using renewable energy and intelligent technologies.

The town covers 8.1 square kilometers and is home to 60,000 residents, and its primary industries include the internet, medicine and technology.

Huifengxi is in the core area of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, a flagship agreement between the governments of China and Singapore to build an environmentally friendly and resource-conserving city.

The town uses stable and safe power sources managed by centralized power storage technology, a cloud power distribution monitoring network, a virtual power plant and maintenance robots.

Internet of things enables the cloud power monitoring network to show the operating conditions of 186 power distribution stations, which are equipped with voltage sensors. These sensors will automatically alert maintenance specialists if the power goes out.

Artificial intelligence-powered maintenance robots integrating 3D environmental reconstruction tech, visual recognition and motion control help maintain the power grids. They use algorithms to execute multiple power distribution missions while reducing safety risks and improving operation quality.

The robots, developed by the State Grid Tianjin Electric Power Company, have reduced power outage time by about 605.5 hours in places such as Tianjin, Beijing, Chongqing and Shandong. With an annual production capacity of 200 units, the robots are expected to drive investment in related areas to exceed 900 million yuan in the future.

In April, a 135-square-meter zero-energy building was built in the town. It achieves energy self-sufficiency through 60 photovoltaic panels and an intelligent power supply system. Via a smart power management panel that helps store surplus power, electricity is distributed to the power water heater and washing machine. In the future, Huifengxi’s residents will witness these methods in use in actual offices or homes.

There are about 900 new energy household vehicles in the eco-city area, along with 13 pure electric buses and 21 charging stations.

To accommodate driverless buses in the eco-city, the town has developed robots to help charge buses – a first in China. Huifengxi’s commitment to green living is also demonstrated in public amenities such as photovoltaic waste bins, photovoltaic seats, smart street lights and photovoltaic pavement systems.

The town is a pioneer in innovative eco-friendly living and is a role model for similar projects across China.