Mountain villages embrace green power in China's low-carbon drive

JINAN -- On the rolling hillside near Chaiheyu village in Linyi, a city located in east China's Shandong Province, numerous blue solar panels shine brightly in the sunlight, converting a steady stream of solar energy into green power.

The solar panels are operated by Shandong Yifeng photovoltaic power generation station, which boasts a total installed capacity of 67 MW and an annual power generation of 108 million kWh.

This station stands as the largest hillside photovoltaic power project in the province. It has effectively converted the once desolate mountainous terrain into a thriving hub for the production of sustainable energy.

The last city in Shandong to achieve electricity access for every household, Linyi previously faced setbacks in its development due to power shortages.

Located in the Yimeng Mountains, Linyi has harnessed the advantages of its unique natural resources for the development of new energy sources, such as photovoltaic power, wind power and biomass energy, in recent years.

"I used to return home in darkness after a day of farm work. But, today, every rural road is equipped with solar-powered streetlamps, which are beautiful, environmentally friendly and safe," said Wei Guanghe, who hails from Linyi's Daliang village where 253 such streetlamps have been installed.

With the rapid expansion of photovoltaic power stations, locations such as hills, plantation areas and infertile lands in Linyi now feature photovoltaic panels, helping promote agricultural production and green energy development at the same time.

Today, people in the Yimeng Mountains are not only using green power to light their houses but also utilizing the power of sunlight to create economic opportunities through photovoltaic energy generation.

"We installed 60 photovoltaic panels on the roof of our house, and now we can earn 1,600 yuan (about 223 U.S. dollars) a month by selling electricity generated by these panels," said Wang Guimin from Yanyu village in Linyi's Feixian County. Nearly 300 households in this village have equipped their rooftops with distributed photovoltaic solar panels.

Besides photovoltaic power, Liyin also makes full use of hydropower. In 2022, the Yimeng hydropower station started to generate electricity. Since then, it has optimized resource allocation and effectively tackled the problem of clean energy consumption.

By the end of October, the total installed power generation capacity in Linyi hit 14.35 GW, of which photovoltaic power, wind power, biomass power and hydropower accounted for over 54 percent, according to Li Biao, an official with the State Grid's Linyi power supply company.

This is the epitome of China's booming green power development as the country seeks to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Of the total, the installed capacity of distributed photovoltaics reached 4.5 GW, ranking first in Shandong Province, and thereby, aiding rural revitalization in the old revolutionary base.