Shanxi province in northern China has to date built 5,196 photovoltaic power stations since 2014, generating revenue of 1.36 billion yuan ($198.11 million) and benefiting 345,700 poor households in 8,314 villages, according to the Shanxi Poverty Alleviation and Development Office.

In 2014, the Shanxi authorities focus on the province's eastern Loess Plateau, where light is plentiful and is open and vast.

Shanxi was subsequently recognized by the State Council's Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development and the National Energy Administration as a pilot province for solar park-connected poverty alleviation initiatives due to its geological advantages for building solar power stations.

Officials estimated that the total size of photovoltaic-driven poverty alleviation power stations in Shanxi had reached 2.942 million kilowatts by the end of 2019, which accounted for about one sixth of the total solar power farm output in China.

Among the solar parks are 5,143 village-level power stations with 1.55 million kilowatts and centralized power stations with 1.39 million kilowatts.

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