At the End of March, Spring Chill Lingers in Northern Xinjiang's Tori County as Snow Remains; Eleven Photovoltaic Stations Steadily Generate Power, Boosting Incomes for Formerly Impoverished Households

The total installed capacity of the eleven 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 absorbs the electricity fed into the grid and allocates the monthly electricity fee revenue to all 22 villages in the county, which is specifically used to pay wages for village-level public welfare positions. To date, the cumulative grid-connected electricity has exceeded 36.1 million kilowatt-hours, translating into revenue funds of over 8.6 million yuan.

（Solar First's photovoltaic project in Xinjiang）

As a key clean energy hub in China, Xinjiang has seen a thriving photovoltaic industry, attracting numerous enterprises to participate in construction and technological exploration. Solar First Group is one such enterprise. As of 2022, it has successfully completed grid connection for 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 varying light conditions to boost power generation efficiency, horizontal single-axis tracking projects widely suited to flat terrain, dual-axis tracking projects that achieve two-dimensional precise solar tracking, and BIPV curtain wall projects that innovatively integrate photovoltaic modules with building facades. These practices have not only added green power to Xinjiang but also provided valuable experience for the diversified application of photovoltaic technology in the region.

Since 2020, Tori County has made full use of the revenue from photovoltaic projects, cumulatively developing and establishing 670 village-level photovoltaic public welfare positions. This has enabled local villagers to find employment right at their doorstep, becoming "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. She now works as an accounting clerk at the Jiyeke Village Committee and earns over 2,000 yuan per month.

（Solar First's photovoltaic project in Xinjiang）

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 used the proceeds from photovoltaic power generation to set up various public welfare positions, offering them to the impoverished labor force and implementing dynamic management, which has effectively promoted the continuous growth of income for the poverty-stricken population.

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

The implementation of the photovoltaic project has not only broadened income channels and created job opportunities for impoverished households in Tori County but also significantly enhanced the economic strength of the village collectives.