(Yicai Global) May 11 -- The Dachen Islands off the coast of China’s eastern Zhejiang province are now zero-emission thanks to a number of pioneering green energy projects, according to the local electricity provider.

The group of islands, which are administered by Taizhou city, boast the world's first flexible low-frequency power transmission project and China’s first hydrogen pilot project on a group of islands, State Grid Zhejiang Taizhou Power Supply said on May 9.

The Dachen Islands' electricity mainly comes from wind power generation, hydrogen energy storage and low-frequency power transmission, said Xia Ziyuan, the deputy mayor of Dachen town on the islands.

The islands’ location in the East China Sea guarantees blustery conditions with wind speeds reaching 6.8 meters per second. Wind farms on the archipelago generate 7,000 wind energy hours a year.

And surplus wind power is being harnessed at night to produce hydrogen, which can generate electricity through water electrolysis. At the same time, oxygen produced in the process can be channeled to fish farmers to boost the local fishery industry. This pilot hydrogen project costing CNY30 million (USD4.3 million) is being tried out for the first time on an group of islands in China.

And in July last year, the world’s first 35 kilo-volt flexible low-frequency power transmission project was installed on the Dachen Islands, improving transmission efficiency by more than 30 percent.

By becoming zero-carbon, the Dachen Islands will have strong ecological advantages which will drive the development of fishing, renewable energy projects and tourism on the islands, Xia said. The number of tourists on the islands has more than tripled to 170,000 a year from under 50,000 previously, he added.

Many islands in the world are being affected by climate change, said Wang Tao, professor at the College of Energy Engineering of Zhejiang University. But zero-emission islands like the Dachen Islands will no longer exploit the ocean for resources, but instead develop according to a green and renewable model.

Editor: Kim Taylor