New energy fuels development in mountainous Guizhou Province

GUIYANG -- In the high-altitude areas of southwest China's Guizhou Province, residents used to grow potatoes and buckwheat for a living. With the rapid development of the new energy industry, these mountainous areas have now embraced new opportunities for development.

"Crop yield in these areas was very low due to the high altitude and harsh climate. Additionally, grazing further degraded the environment," said Ma Li, an official from the rural revitalization bureau of Yi-Hui-Miao Autonomous County of Weining.

Fortunately, these disadvantages in the mountainous province have now been transformed into advantages. The local government has introduced new energy industries such as wind power and solar power to accelerate its development.

In 2019, a photovoltaic power station was established and put into use in Ertang Town, Weining, which is situated at Guizhou's highest altitude.

Covering an area of over 866,000 square meters, the photovoltaic power station can generate 53 million kWh of electricity annually.

"The company pays hundreds of thousands of yuan of land rent to villagers and provides many jobs for them. Plants under the photovoltaic panels have thrived, playing an important role in restoring the natural environment," said Tian Haokun, head of the photovoltaic power station, which was built by Guizhou Jinyuan Co., Ltd. of State Power Investment Corporation Limited.

In order to make full use of the land, crops such as medicinal herbs and vegetables have also been grown beneath the solar panels, increasing the added value of the land and creating more employment opportunities for the surrounding residents.

"We have about 30 villagers working for us every day. They clean the solar panels and weed during the farming off-season. Therefore, villagers here have stable incomes throughout the year," said Zhang Puqing, who is in charge of another photovoltaic power station in Anlong County, Bouyei-Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Qianxinan.

Apart from solar power, wind power is also flourishing in the province. Back in 2011, the province witnessed its first wind power project launched and connected to the grid.

As of the end of June this year, the total installed capacity of new energy in Guizhou had reached 21.8 million kilowatts, with wind power accounting for over 6 million kilowatts and solar power accounting for more than 15 million kilowatts.

Meanwhile, a number of new energy projects are under construction across the province. By 2025, the total installed capacity of wind power generation in Guizhou is projected to reach 10.8 million kilowatts, while solar power generation is expected to reach 31 million kilowatts.