Tori, Xinjiang: Photovoltaic power helps households that have been lifted out of poverty to increase their income steadily

At the end of March, the cold of spring had not yet dissipated in Tori County in northern Xinjiang, and the snow still lingered. Eleven photovoltaic power stations are continuously and stably generating electricity under the sun, injecting lasting impetus into the income increase of local households that have been lifted out of poverty.

The total installed capacity of these 11 photovoltaic power stations in Tori County exceeds 10 megawatts (MW), and all of them were fully connected to the grid for power generation in June 2019. State Grid Tacheng Power Supply Company fully consumes the electricity fed into the grid and distributes the monthly electricity fee revenue to all 22 villages in the county, which is specifically used to pay the wages of village-level public welfare positions. As of now, the cumulative grid-connected electricity has exceeded 36.1 million kilowatt-hours, and the converted revenue funds amount to over 8.6 million yuan.

Xinjiang, as an important clean energy base in China, has a booming photovoltaic industry, attracting numerous enterprises to participate in construction and technological exploration. Solar First Group is one of them. As of 2022, it has successfully completed the grid connection of four different types of photovoltaic projects in Xinjiang. These projects fully demonstrate the diversity of technological applications: including inclined single-axis tracking projects that adapt to different lighting conditions to enhance power generation efficiency, horizontal single-axis tracking projects widely applicable to flat terrain, dual-axis tracking projects that achieve dual-dimensional precise light tracking, and BIPV curtain wall projects that innovatively combine photovoltaic modules with building facades. These practices not only added green power to Xinjiang, but also provided valuable experience for the diversified application of regional photovoltaic technology.

（The photovoltaic project of Solar First Group）

Since 2020, Tori County has fully utilized the revenue from photovoltaic projects and cumulatively developed and set up 670 village-level photovoltaic public welfare positions, enabling local villagers to achieve employment right at their doorstep and become "salaried workers" with stable incomes.

Gadra Trick, a villager from Jiyek Village in Tori County, is a beneficiary of the photovoltaic project. After graduating in 2020, she found employment through a public welfare position in the village. Now she works as an accounting clerk in Jiyeke Village Committee and earns over 2,000 yuan per month.

（The photovoltaic project of Solar First Group）

According to Hana Tibolat, the team leader and first secretary of the Tori county committee 's work team stationed in Jiyeke village, the photovoltaic income of Jiyeke village reached 530,000 yuan in 2021, and it is expected to be about 450,000 yuan this year. The village has utilized the proceeds from photovoltaic power generation to set up various public welfare positions, providing them to the poverty-stricken labor force and implementing dynamic management, which has effectively promoted the continuous growth of the income of the poverty-stricken population.

To ensure the stable operation of photovoltaic power stations, State Grid Tori County Power Supply Company regularly organizes personnel to visit each power station, conduct comprehensive inspections of the equipment and supporting power supply lines within the stations, identify potential safety hazards of the photovoltaic power generation system, and promptly eliminate equipment defects.

The implementation of the photovoltaic project not only broadened the income channels and created job opportunities for the poverty-stricken households in Tori County, but also significantly enhanced the economic strength of the village collective.