China is using the distribution of energy to speed up its poverty alleviation efforts, a move that industry insiders believe not only provides vital guarantees for economic and social development in poverty-stricken areas, but will also improve the ability of these regions to get rid of poverty by themselves.

According to incomplete statistics, dozens of Chinese companies such as the State Grid Corporation and Southern Power Grid have been constructing photovoltaic power stations in a bid to alleviate poverty.

"Before we had an electricity supply from large power networks, my home could only rely on a photovoltaic panel for our lights. The electrical energy stored in the battery during the day lasted only a few hours at night,” recalled Zhaxi Latan, a herdsman in Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Qinghai province.

“Now the large power networks have been connected to our homes, and my family has bought a refrigerator and a washing machine. We can also eat fresh beef and mutton in summer. When the weather is cold, my mother doesn’t need to go to the river to wash clothes anymore, and her hands that have been chapped from the cold for many years are gradually getting better," Zhaxi Latan said when explaining how electricity consumption has changed life in his home.

"A new round of upgrades for the rural power grid has greatly benefited the rural areas, especially farmers' production and lives in the poor areas. It has played a big role in promoting electricity consumption in rural areas, driving forward the development of emerging industries such as rural e-commerce, warehouse logistics and rural tourism,” Said Qi Chengyuan, deputy director of the National Energy Administration.

Industry insiders believe that by giving priority to major energy investment projects in poverty-stricken areas and increasing support for energy infrastructure construction and energy resource development, advantages in resources can be promptly turned into economic development advantages, boosting economic and social development in poverty-stricken areas.