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Accelerating the coordinated development of digitalization and greening is an important component of building a green and intelligent digital ecological civilization, as well as an important measure to achieve economic transformation and upgrading, high-quality development, and the implementation of the Digital China strategy. In the just concluded 2023 Shanghai Energy Conservation Promotion Week, "Collaborative Development of Digitization and Greenization" once again became a hot topic of discussion. So, what are the characteristics of the coordinated development of digitalization and greening? How to promote the development of "dual transformation synergy"?

"Dual transformation synergy" has two major characteristics

According to relevant reports, by 2030, relying on the digital sector can reduce fossil fuel emissions by 15% globally. Supported by digital technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, and with green development as the core, the transformation and development of "dual transformation and collaboration" has become one of the iconic contents of the fourth industrial revolution. Overall, "dual transformation synergy" has the following two major characteristics:

Firstly, digital technology provides digital support for green production. Digital technology can digitize and systematize various resources, grasp the resource consumption situation in the production process through data analysis, monitor energy utilization efficiency, and optimize and adjust in a timely manner; In the process of green product design, digital technology can assist in green product simulation, green processes and auxiliary manufacturing, green product trial production and verification, etc; In terms of business management, digital technology participates in equipment digital management, material tracking management, intelligent warehousing, precise distribution, and remote product operation and maintenance.

In actual production and life, digital technologies such as blockchain, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and cloud computing are comprehensively applied to form a digital green system. By utilizing blockchain technology, it is possible to effectively record production processes, trace production and supply chain links; By utilizing IoT technology, real-time monitoring of production, processing, transportation, and other processes can be achieved, enabling timely detection and resolution of issues; By utilizing artificial intelligence technology, intelligent device management can be achieved, improving equipment operation efficiency; By utilizing cloud computing technology, enterprise production and experience management data can be stored, helping enterprises allocate various resources.

Secondly, green technology provides transformation impetus for the digital industry. The digital industry takes data as its core and information as its processing object, and green development has become an inevitable direction for the transformation and upgrading of the digital industry. As a data carrier, data centers occupy a core position in the digital industry. With the further development of the digital economy, the demand for data in society continues to increase. Traditional data centers face many problems such as high energy consumption and high energy intensity per unit. The development and application of green technology can help traditional data centers save energy and reduce emissions, and promote the green transformation of the digital industry. If high-performance semiconductors such as new high-efficiency power modules are used, it can reduce the loss of input power in data centers and reduce power consumption during transmission; Adopting intelligent microgrid technology to achieve multi-channel power supply in the computer room can reduce distribution system losses and improve energy efficiency of the power supply system; The data center adopts liquid cooling and natural cooling technologies, which can improve the refrigeration efficiency of equipment; The use of distributed photovoltaic and energy storage technologies can reduce the dependence of data centers on external energy. With the support of green technology, the actual energy consumption intensity per unit in data centers will continue to decrease, and overall energy efficiency will gradually be optimized and improved.

In addition, green technology and industrial Internet are deeply integrated to promote green and low-carbon development of industrial Internet. By coordinating green and low-carbon basic data and industrial big data resources, establishing a green and low-carbon basic data platform for the entire product lifecycle, implementing carbon reduction and fixation technologies in various aspects of the industry, and achieving full chain emission reduction in the industry. For example, in the industrial control production end, CCUS technology is used to achieve direct conversion and storage of carbon, reducing carbon emissions; Conduct carbon footprint monitoring and tracking throughout the industrial control chain. The full chain connection of green technology provides power for the green transformation of industrial Internet.

Digitalization and Greenization Need Balanced and Coordinated Development

To accelerate the collaborative development of digitalization and greening, it is necessary to overcome some misconceptions and achieve coordinated development between the two:

Firstly, not all digital scenarios contribute to energy conservation and carbon reduction, and excessive digitization actually increases energy consumption. Firstly, the origin of digitization is the mining industry. According to the World Bank report, by 2050, the mining output of graphite, lithium and cobalt, the important elements of information and communication technology, will increase by nearly 500%. The rapid development of digitalization undoubtedly brings about high energy consumption in ore mining. Secondly, the electricity consumption of ICT is astonishing. According to the EU's strategic report, ICT currently accounts for approximately 5-9% of global electricity consumption and 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. According to calculations from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, it is expected that by 2030, the carbon dioxide emissions from data centers in various regions of the country will exceed 200 million tons, becoming the largest carbon emission source in China's economic system. Finally, digital waste has become a new source of pollution. According to the 2020 Global E-waste Monitor jointly released by multiple United Nations agencies, the global e-waste will reach 74 million tons by 2030. Therefore, it is urgent for the digital industry to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

Secondly, not all green technologies need to be endowed with digital shells, and even small technological transformations can produce significant energy-saving effects. The technological collaboration path in digital and green collaborative transformation does not necessarily require the addition of digital technology to green technology. The green transformation of traditional technological processes and the introduction of new technologies, processes, and equipment for energy conservation and emission reduction can also produce significant energy-saving effects. For example, a certain stainless steel enterprise adopts non nitric acid cleaning technology, 18 roll 6 continuous rolling, and annealing furnace equipment pollution-free emission technology. In order to solve the problem of steam leakage, a certain steel enterprise has carried out energy-saving transformation of the steam system, making the heat of steam more efficiently transferred and utilized, achieving a dual effect of residual energy recovery and green low-carbon energy supply. The above cases do not have additional digital technologies, but they have all produced significant energy-saving effects.

Thirdly, the two systems of "dual transformation" are not completely overlapping or separated, and studying their equilibrium entropy value is an important issue for the future. Digitalization and greening used to exist as two separate systems, but in fact, the two are neither completely separated nor completely overlapping. This scenario can be described as: digital transformation can produce green and low-carbon results, while green development does not drag down production and economic progress. To achieve this scenario, it is necessary to balance and coordinate the two systems. What is the entropy value of this balance will be a major research topic in the future.

Institutions, economy, and technology are the driving forces for promoting the development of "dual transformation and synergy"

There are three driving forces for promoting digital and green collaborative development: institutional, economic, and technological. Among these three driving forces, the system is a development force led by the government from top to bottom, while the economy and technology are development forces formed by enterprise exploration from bottom to top.

The driving force of the system requires departmental collaboration and special policy support. In addition to existing policy investments such as project special funds, technology research and development funds, and benchmark rewards, the government also needs to continuously refine policy measures, such as incorporating financial guarantees into policies and exploring "dual transformation" pilot sites. Economic power requires capital injection and sustainable business models. For example, the "energy as a service" model in the energy industry, the "travel as a service" model in the transportation industry, and the "green electricity+diversified carbon sink" trading model are typical "dual transformation" business models. The driving force of "technology" is more focused on scene applications, including two aspects: using digital technology as the foundation, applying to green scenes, using green technology as the foundation, and applying to digital scenes. For example, using digital means to monitor, control, and govern the entire process of green production; Using green technologies to reduce energy consumption in data centers, and helping smart factories discharge pollutants.

In recent years, Shanghai has done a lot of work in promoting the digital transformation of traditional infrastructure, promoting the green transformation of manufacturing and communication industries, and establishing green factory benchmarks. However, there are still problems in the development of "dual transformation and synergy", such as insufficient driving force for integrated innovation, insufficient coordination among regional departments, and insufficient guidance for diversified participation. Next, Shanghai needs to deeply explore and cultivate innovative technologies, application scenarios, and business models for "dual transformation collaboration", establish a management and organizational mechanism for "dual transformation collaboration" led by a single department and coordinated by industry departments, establish a "dual transformation collaboration" political industry academia research contact platform, and continuously promote the innovative development of "dual transformation collaboration" in Shanghai.

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