At the site of the Chuzhou Tianchang Fishery-PV Hybrid project operated by CHN Energy Longyuan Power Anhui Branch, aquaculture farmer Zhao Dahai excitedly displayed his soon-to-be-marketed crabs to inspecting technicians. "The shells are bright green, the bellies are snow-white, and the pincers are thick and powerful. When they hit the market in half a month, they are sure to sell for a good price!" Pointing to the shimmering water beneath the photovoltaic panels, he exclaimed, "Who would have thought that ‘fortune crabs' could be raised right under these panels!"
Previously, due to traditional farming methods and low efficiency, many ponds in Tianchang City yielded an annual income of only two to three thousand yuan per mu, prompting many villagers to leave for work elsewhere. When planning the photovoltaic project, CHN Energy innovatively introduced the Fishery-PV Hybrid model. Through scientific calculations, the height of the photovoltaic brackets was set above 4 meters from the water surface, and the spacing between modules was widened to 8 meters. This design not only guarantees power generation efficiency but also reserves sufficient space for underwater aquaculture.
The project team conducted specialized research and selected the Chinese mitten crab, a species suitable for growing in the shaded environment under photovoltaic panels. Technicians regularly monitor water quality, adjust feed ratios based on the crabs' molting cycles, and adopt an ecological farming method of human stocking and natural growth to establish a complete biological chain. The diffused light environment created by the PV panels effectively inhibits the growth of harmful algae, while the linkage between oxygenation equipment and the photovoltaic power generation system enables the efficient utilization of green electricity.
Today, the market price for these ecological crabs has stabilized at 60 to 80 yuan per jin (about 17 to 22 U.S. dollars per kilograms). The initial 200 mu of water area generates an annual income of 9,000 yuan per mu (about 19,500 U.S. dollars per hectare), three times that of traditional farming. To date, 60 households have benefited, with an average annual income increase of 8,000 yuan (about 1,132 U.S. dollars) per household. Furthermore, the crab feeding and catching seasons provide over a hundred temporary jobs, allowing villagers to participate in modern aquaculture right at their doorsteps.
From low-efficiency ponds to a "blue ocean" of opportunity, and from traditional farming to smart agriculture, CHN Energy's Fishery-PV Hybrid model is using the power of symbiosis between technology and nature to inject new life and vitality into rural revitalization. This achievement marks a multi-party win-win scenario through the integrated development of clean energy and modern agriculture.
