Nantong outlines blueprint for smart city

Sand table of the "near-zero carbon" industrial park at AlphaESS. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Nantong in Jiangsu province is outlining a blueprint for a smart city through the assistance of digital reform.

AlphaESS, a Nantong-based global leader in green energy storage solutions and service, is actively transforming its factory area into a "near-zero carbon" industrial park. To achieve this goal, it relies on big data and AI algorithm model technology, along with the establishment of a digital twin system for the park.

The concept of a digital twin can be understood as the digital representation of physical products. AlphaESS's digital twin system is an energy-centered Internet of Things built through intelligent gateways, integrating energy storage, charging stations, integrated light storage units, and other power equipment within the park.

"The company has always focused on using digital means to reduce energy costs, improve equipment maintenance management, and achieve the 'dual carbon' goal," said Yang Fan from the company's research and development center. The digital industrial park features energy savings and emissions reduction during production process.

The municipal natural resources and planning bureau has also developed a panoramic three-dimensional pipeline information management platform, integrating 2D and 3D data to create a realistic 3D map of the underground pipeline network.

"With this map, we and our design companies can better plan the underground space," said Zhang Yingying from the municipal bureau. The platform's intelligent approval algorithm quantitatively analyzes pipeline burial depth, laying sequence, collision distances, and more, providing precise services for pipeline design, approval, completion, updates, and database construction.

The smart city parking project in Nantong, selected as one of the top 10 typical scenes of the province's digital society, has successfully connected 822 parking lots in the city. In addition to "contactless payment", it boasts functions including shared parking space, parking guidance, and accurately addressing issues such as slow payments, congestion during peak hours, and payment errors.