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A building-scale modeling framework for urban net-zero transitions in Nanjing
Yuxin Chen1, Zhenyu Wang1, Quan Wen1
1Department of Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Nature Communications
|October 8, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a building-specific carbon accounting framework to guide urban decarbonization. It reveals commercial buildings have higher carbon intensity, emphasizing tailored efficiency upgrades and renewable energy integration for effective carbon reduction.
Area of Science:
- Building energy efficiency
- Urban carbon accounting
- Sustainable urban development
Background:
- Global carbon neutrality goals necessitate operational carbon reduction in buildings.
- Existing emission methods lack building-level detail, hindering targeted retrofit strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop a building-based emissions accounting framework.
- Propose tailored mitigation technologies and analyze decarbonization pathways.
- Provide science-backed strategies for urban energy transitions.
Main Methods:
- Incorporated building typology, function, and geometry into an emissions accounting framework.
- Augmented data with facility-level power plant information.
- Analyzed 2020-2050 pathways using baseline, regulatory, and blueprint scenarios.
Main Results:
- Commercial buildings show 3.9x higher carbon intensity than residential buildings.
- End-use efficiency upgrades (HVAC, lighting, appliances) are most effective for commercial sectors.
- Supply-side gains depend on accelerated coal plant phaseout and renewable integration.
Conclusions:
- Building-specific accounting enables precise decarbonization pathways.
- Demand-side and supply-side strategies are crucial for urban energy transitions.
- Policy recommendations support achieving carbon neutrality objectives through targeted building retrofits.
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