Solar power helping zap rural poverty

Development of the photovoltaic industry in the village of Beitou in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, has meant a helping hand to farmer Luo Laiping when he and his wife really needed it.

Luo, 53, has impaired vision, and his wife has learning disabilities and is unable to work. The couple earn only about 100 yuan ($15) per day from the land.

Now, in exchange for allowing solar panels on their property, the family will receive about 3,000 yuan more per year from the PV industry. The Nanchang city government has overseen the development of the industry to alleviate poverty and improve lives.

Nanchang, since 2016, has encouraged the comprehensive local development of the sector to make a big dent in poverty by 2020. Rural households with little or no regular income and few resources will benefit primarily, officials said. The construction of a 3-kilowatt photovoltaic power station brings an average annual generating capacity of 3,300 kilowatt-hours over its 25 years of service life and an annual revenue during that time of more than 65,000 yuan per family.

While the project has helped local residents who live under the poverty line, the villages also are developing quickly with the availability of a new energy source.

Fu Kaihui, director of the poverty alleviation office of Nanchang, said local governments have helped more than 2,000 households have solar panels installed. In 2017, about 30 village-level PV stations were established and 1,000 households were equipped with solar panels.

Fu said that in 2018, the government of Nanchang aims to build 30 village-level PV stations and equip 760 households with solar panels, which are expected to cover poverty alleviation targets in Nanchang.