National Energy Administration responds to People's Daily Online users: Promoting rural distributed photovoltaic applications to support green rural development

Source: People’s Daily

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) (Reporter Wang Shaoshao): “We recommend strengthening solar power science popularization efforts in rural areas and dispelling the public’s concerns about solar radiation.”

“We recommend incorporating solar power generation-related knowledge into the rural revitalization training system.”

“Establish a sustainable village-enterprise cooperation mechanism.”

“Strengthen oversight of the rural solar power installation market.”

……

Over the past year or so, netizens have actively offered suggestions via People’s Daily’s “Leadership Message Board” to help promote the development of rural distributed solar power and advance the adoption of green energy. They have put forward multiple recommendations in areas including science popularization, policy support, and cooperation mechanisms. The topics are closely related to helping rural revitalization and advancing the green and low-carbon transition.

The National Energy Administration responded to netizens on People’s Daily. Image from a screenshot of the “Leadership Message Board”

The National Energy Administration made a positive response to the concerns raised by People’s Daily netizens. A relevant official said they will continue to improve the policy framework for distributed solar power development, and in conjunction with initiatives such as the “Action of Illuminating Thousands of Households,” strengthen publicity and guidance, provide service safeguards, and promote the standardized and orderly development of rural solar power applications.

In recent years, the National Energy Administration has continued to improve the policy framework and issued the “Measures for the Development and Construction Management of Distributed Photovoltaic Power Generation.” It has made institutional arrangements for multiple distributed solar development models, such as residents using their own housing, cooperation between enterprises and residents, and the use of industrial and commercial buildings, to guide localities in an orderly manner to promote the development and construction of distributed solar power, including in rural areas. On this basis, it organizes and implements the “Action of Illuminating Thousands of Households,” focusing on application scenarios such as farmers’ rooftops and rural public buildings, further promoting the development and utilization of rural distributed solar power to help rural revitalization and green development.

The official said that when it comes to strengthening publicity and training, the National Energy Administration will, together with relevant departments, continue to enhance publicity on safe electricity use and safe power production in rural areas in conjunction with initiatives such as the “Action of Illuminating Thousands of Households.” They will also do a good job of policy interpretation and service guidance, and improve the scientific understanding of distributed solar power among grassroots officials and the public.

In terms of policy support, at present, newly built household distributed solar power projects no longer receive central government fiscal subsidies. Localities may, based on actual conditions and under the premise of compliance with relevant regulations, study and issue local support policies to better promote project implementation.

In terms of improving development mechanisms, the National Energy Administration has already carried out pilot programs for rooftop distributed solar power development across entire counties (cities/districts), summarized and formed a set of typical experiences that can be replicated and scaled. It encourages localities to explore diversified cooperation models, innovate application scenarios, and help establish a reasonable benefit-sharing mechanism to achieve win-win outcomes for multiple parties.

In terms of standardizing market order, to protect farmers’ lawful rights and interests, the National Energy Administration issued the “Standard Contract Template for Lease Agreements for Non-Natural-Person Household Distributed Photovoltaic Power Project Sites,” clarifying the rights and obligations of both the leasing parties. At the same time, dispatched agencies, together with local energy authorities and grid companies, will strengthen supervision and oversight of the relevant work to promote the standardized and orderly development of the rural solar power market.

In terms of science popularization and exemplary leadership, the National Energy Administration will further strengthen publicity on new-energy science popularization, and by combining experience from typical cases, guide localities to strengthen science popularization efforts and help the public correctly recognize distributed solar power generation.

“Next, the National Energy Administration will, together with work such as the ‘Action of Illuminating Thousands of Households,’ encourage localities to develop and build related projects in scenarios such as rural public buildings and village collective facilities, so as to help more people understand and participate in the development of distributed solar power,” the aforementioned official said.

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