This aerial drone photo taken on June 6, 2024 shows a solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of a building at a low(zero) carbon-dioxide emission industrial research institute in Sheyang, Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

　　NANJING, July 9 (Xinhua) -- On the rooftops of Shuangjing Village in the city of Xuzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, rows of gleaming solar panels shimmer under the summer sun, resembling a vast azure sea from a distance.

　　The installation is part of a village-wide distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation initiative led by the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company. With a total installed capacity of 2,709 kilowatts, the network supplies steady renewable power to both the local homes and nearby industrial parks.

　　“This village-wide rooftop solar program is very efficient,“ said Liu Zhichuang, a company technician. “Farmers contribute their unused roof space and earn reliable rental income in return.“

　　Over the solar panels' lifetime, this village project is expected to generate more than 6.4 million yuan (about 890,000 U.S. dollars) in revenue, Liu explained. “At the same time, it cuts both construction and upkeep expenses by about 22 percent.“

　　“Where land is scarce, massive solar farms just aren't practical,“ he noted. “That's why distributed rooftop solar makes more sense. Xuzhou is proving it works, with panels already installed on 140,000 roofs across the city, leading all of Jiangsu province.“