State Grid Changle County Power Supply's efforts boost Weifang farmers' prosperity

In Weifang's Changle county in East China's Shandong province, the integrated development model of photovoltaics and agriculture has brought new channels for local farmers to gain success and wealth.

In the local Zhangjiafangzi village, there is a breeding farm housing 16,000 ducks, which led to an indispensable need for a constant supply of electricity. After launching the photovoltaic power generation project, in which power is generated above while breeding takes place below the panels, the utilization of land resources is improved as well as the ecological and economic benefits, said Cui Jikang, the person in charge of the duck farm.

The blue solar panels glisten under the sunlight, while underneath, workers are busy adding feed and packing the collected duck eggs. The once abandoned land is now full of vitality, bringing in income through green initiatives.

After replacing inefficient light bulbs, more light will be provided at night, allowing the ducks to lay more eggs, said staff members from the local power supply station of State Grid Changle County Power Supply when they were visiting the duck farm to conduct line inspections and equipment maintenance.

The income of the duck farm mainly comes from two aspects. One is from duck breeding, which can produce more than 3 million eggs annually, selling at approximately 10.4 yuan ($1.44) per kilogram. The high-quality eggs and meat are well received in the market, providing substantial income and stable job positions for around 10 villagers.

The other part comes from photovoltaic power generation, which can generate and connect to the grid at 200,000 kilowatt-hours per month. The government also provides certain subsidies to the project.

"In our jurisdiction in Changle, there are a total of 11 areas and five photovoltaic power stations for breeding and photovoltaic power generation, including Honghe town, Qiaoguan town and the those near the reservoir area. Photovoltaic power generation also brings considerable income," Cui said.

"To ensure the operation of photovoltaic power generation in winter, our company has carried out special actions to solve the practical problems and address people's concerns, focusing on the power supply service needed by the public. By conducting on-site inspections, eliminating safety hazards, and solving key and difficult problems in the power consumption process, the county's green and low-carbon power transformation was progressed through practical actions," said Li Ming, a staff member from the marketing department of State Grid Changle County Power Supply.