Solar's bright future in powering rural areas

Police officers and electricians inspect a lake-based photovoltaic power station in Baoying county, Jiangsu province, in June. Solar energy will be a game-changer in China's rural regions, offering a reliable and affordable answer to local energy demands while facilitating the green energy transition nationwide, according to national legislators, political advisers and industry experts. Solar energy, with no fuel costs and low maintenance costs, has been developing rapidly in China's rural regions over the past few years, and has created savings in rural communities by replacing expensive and inefficient traditional fuels, said Zhong Baoshen, chairman of Longi Green Energy Technology Co. The varying quality of photovoltaic components, coupled with a lack of maintenance and management of solar products in rural regions, pose risks to the overall construction quality of solar power stations in rural areas, leading to operational challenges and potential safety hazards, said Zhong. The absence of a dedicated operational and maintenance framework tailored specifically for rural photovoltaic installations makes it difficult to make better use of solar power, and it is urgent for the country to formulate comprehensive policies that address this gap, ensuring the development of high-quality standards for the construction and implementation of rural photovoltaic projects, he said.