Hailing district in Taizhou, Jiangsu province, is striving to highlight its photovoltaic industry as the district aims to become a "solar city "during the coming years.
Cao Weidong, Taizhou's executive vice-mayor, said Hailing has delved into the new energy sector for many years and reaped rich resources and experience.
Building a "solar city" is a strategic choice for the district to advance the transformation of industries and seek sustainable development, said Sun Qun, Party secretary of the district.
Founded in 2010, Taizhou New Energy Industrial Park in the district is committed to attracting leading solar companies and establishing a complete industrial chain of the photovoltaic industry.
The industrial park has been home to 23 photovoltaic enterprises with investment totaling 14.7 billion yuan ($2.31 billion) by the end of 2021.
Solar panel manufacturer Das Solar, for example, launched a 5 billion yuan project in the park.
"It only took us 22 days to deal with the registration process and 60 days to finish the plant's expansion thanks to strong support from the local government," said Wang Chunhua, assistant to the chairman of the company.
Wang said the project's first phase had been put into operation in May and achieved an output of 250 million yuan by August.
By 2023, the park is expected to produce photovoltaic cells that can generate 10 gigawatts of electricity and 20gW of solar panels a year. The annual output of the photovoltaic industry in the park will hit 40 billion yuan, according to local officials.
In addition to businesses, the industrial park features a demonstration project named "solar alley", which shows the broad prospect of the application of solar power.
The three zero-carbon houses, as a highlight of the project, are constructed with recyclable materials and powered by 570 solar panels on the roof.
The clean electricity not only maintains the houses' operation, but its surplus is supplied to power streetlamps nearby, a park representative said.
Wang Jianjun, director of the district's publicity department, said Hailing is focusing on promoting the rooftop solar farm program and encouraging owners of all buildings to use solar power.
The solar power will be utilized everywhere in the future, making Hailing a real "solar city", Wang Jianjun added.
According to local authorities, 40 percent of the roof areas of the public buildings in Hailing will be covered by solar panels by 2023 while the proportion for industrial buildings will reach 30 percent.
Hailing also plans to strengthen its cooperation with universities, research institutes and industries.
It is scheduled to build a photovoltaic industry research center in collaboration with Sun Yat-sen University based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, to carry out pilot projects and explore new technologies, Sun said.
zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn
Workers assemble photovoltaic panels at a plant of Das Solar in the city of Taizhou. CHINA DAILY