Walking along the river in Qunwei Village of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, you will find a unique view: a belt of photovoltaic panels besides the stunning landscape.
Qunwei is the first village in the region to put forward the concept of "whole-county photovoltaic." The Whole-County PV Project awakens "sleeping" rural roof resources. The PV panels don't occupy farmland, nor require villagers to invest. The panels provide electricity from green energy, but also promote common prosperity in the village. Thanks to the project, the overall annual electricity generation in the village can reach about 540,000 kilowatts per hour, and the annual increase in income from it exceeds 230,000 yuan (over $32,000).
Solar panels on the roof in Qunwei Village, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. /He Jijiang
Solar panels on the roof in Qunwei Village, Hangzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province. /He Jijiang
Despite the complex shapes of the rooftop, Qunwei unified the overall design plan, demonstrating the principles of beauty and practicality. The PV implementation in the village has extended from rural households to enterprises and public areas, with a total installed capacity of over 3,000 kilowatts. Each household which installs solar panels gets 3,000 kilowatts per hour of electricity for free every year.
(All photos provided by He Jijiang, executive deputy director of the Research Center for Energy Transition and Social Development at Tsinghua University)