This aerial photo taken on Nov. 15, 2022 shows the rooftop photovoltaic (PV) power installations at Liuji Village of Shanghe County, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Fan Changguo)
JINAN, May 27 (Xinhua) -- At a photovoltaic (PV) power generation station in Suanzili Village in east China's Shandong Province, endless arrays of blue photovoltaic panels glow in the sun.
Located in the old waterway of the Yellow River, most of the land in Suanzili is saline and alkaline, but the light conditions of the village are good, which makes it a suitable spot for developing PV power generation.
An investment of the Xinjiayuan Photovoltaic Agriculture Co., Ltd, the 40-megawatt power station was connected to the grid in 2017. With an average annual generating capacity of 49 million kWh, which is equivalent to saving 16,000 tonnes of standard coal each year, it achieved a revenue of 40.82 million yuan (about 5.77 million U.S. dollars) last year.
"The photovoltaic power station leases 1,200 mu (about 80 hectares) of saline and alkaline land in the village, and the annual land circulation fee per mu is more than 1,100 yuan," said Li Dengxin, Party chief of the village.
Besides, Xinjiayuan sets aside 3.6 million yuan every year from its revenue as special funds for rural revitalization for Suanzili, increasing the income of both villagers and the village, Li added.
Shandong is an economic powerhouse and major energy consumer in east China. "Photovoltaic power generation features low pollution and outstanding environmental benefits, which is conducive to reducing the consumption of fossil energy, said Zhang Xiaobin, executive vice director of the Shandong solar energy industry association.
In recent years, Shandong has also actively utilized rooftop resources on sites such as factories and rural residential buildings to promote distributed PV power generation, injecting new momentum into green development.
In New Zhangyanzhai Village of Liaocheng City in Shandong, an 11-megawatt rooftop PV power generation project is in operation.
"As long as the sun is there, you can earn money. Photovoltaic power generation can increase the income of our village by more than 300,000 yuan annually, and the profit period can last up to 20 years," said Zhang Wei, Party chief of the village.
The growth of distributed PV power generation in Shandong mirrors China's strenuous efforts to develop new energy.
China has fast-tracked its green drive in recent years, bringing a boom in development within the new-energy sector, with a world-leading installed capacity.
By the end of 2021, the country's annual power generation from wind and solar energy accounted for 11.7 percent of its total electricity consumption.
Furthermore, China has rolled out a raft of measures to significantly move its installed wind and solar power capacity toward a low-carbon, secure and efficient energy mix.
In a national action plan issued in May 2022, the country pledged to accelerate its construction of large wind power and photovoltaic bases in deserts, and will in the meantime encourage distributed power generation in villages, industrial parks, and on building rooftops.
By 2025, half of all new public institution buildings will have solar power facilities on their rooftops, it said.
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