Rows of silver-gray solar panels shimmer above fishponds in Qunwei village. [Photo/WeChat account: xiaoshanfabu]

In Qunwei village, Xiaoshan district of Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, rows of silver-gray photovoltaic panels shimmer above thousands of acres of fishponds.

As the solar panels generate electricity, the ponds below nurture whiteleg shrimp — a practice known as solar-fishery integration.

The project's annual output is impressive: About 110 million kilowatt hours of electricity generating 46.8 million yuan ($6.5 million) in sales, plus 300,000 kilograms of shrimp worth an estimated 12 million yuan. The land rent has also more than doubled. In July alone, the solar farm delivered 13.26 million kWh to the grid, earning over 5 million yuan.

Since its launch in 2023, the village's rooftop and pond-based solar projects have cut carbon emissions by 8.3 million metric tons annually, saved 1,404 tons of coal and improved water quality for aquaculture.

Moreover, shrimp survival rates have risen by 15 percent, with yields expected to hit 4,500 kg per hectare.

Neighboring Minwei and Dongjiang villages have now joined the effort, forming a growing "chasing the light" cluster. The project has even earned national recognition, with Qunwei named Zhejiang province's only Zero-Carbon Village Pilot under the Zero-Carbon China program (2024–27).

What began as a village once mired in debt is now a model for rural vitalization — turning sunlight into sustainable prosperity.

Workers deploy solar panels at the village. [Photo/WeChat account: xiaoshanfabu]