Co-location boosts rural vitalization in Shandong

In Shijiagou village of Yantai, Shandong province, over 20,000 deep blue solar panels are neatly arranged on the roofs of a breeding farm, converting sunlight into green electricity. Beneath the solar panels, flocks of white-feathered chickens leisurely peck at their feed.

"Utilizing the advantageous conditions of large roof areas, unobstructed sunlight and ample illumination at the breeding farm, we have combined agricultural breeding with photovoltaic power generation, establishing a harmonious co-location of green electricity," said Sun Ximin, the person in charge of the breeding farm.

Co-location, also known as agrivoltaics or dual-use solar, is a kind of agricultural production underneath solar panels or adjacent to solar panels.

The innovative agrivoltaic farming model has not only improved land use efficiency, but also brought villagers additional income. This year, the farm has raised over 30 million white-feathered chickens, with a net income of over 10 million yuan ($1.38 million), Sun added.

In addition, the model also saves electricity costs, achieving a dual-empowerment of enterprise development and green electricity.

The agrivoltaics farm effectively utilizes 55,000 square meters of idle roof space, installing 5.9 megawatts of solar panels, with an annual power generation capacity of approximately 8.4 million kilowatt-hours, according to data from State Grid Penglai Power Supply Co of Yantai.

Currently, Yantai has a total of 81,342 distributed photovoltaic households, with a total installed capacity of nearly 3 million kilowatts, said State Grid Yantai Power Supply Co, adding that the company aims to further strengthen the integrated development of "power supply + energy efficiency", and actively promote the smooth implementation of photovoltaic power generation projects.

lijiaying@chinadaily.com.cn