Clean Energy Turns Tide For 55-Year-Old Nanjing Farm Manager As Solar-Powered Aquaculture Lifts Incomes and Cuts Emissions

For Cheng Youhe, a 55-year-old seafood farm manager in Nanjing, life looks very different today compared to a few years ago. He now earns a higher income, provides stable employment to many people from his village, and contributes to reducing carbon emissions through his work. But this success did not come easily, nor was it always guaranteed. Before taking charge of the seafood farm, Cheng worked in the seafood industry as a broker, coordinating supply to meet the needs of major markets such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. His work, however, was often disrupted by inconsistent supply from farmers and the challenge of fulfilling urgent, last-minute orders. These issues frequently resulted in disappointed customers and the loss of long-term business relationships, making stability difficult to achieve.

Everything changed during a field visit to Nantong, a city in eastern China, where Cheng met a Chinese company specialising in agriculture and renewable energy. The encounter sparked his interest in aquaculture models powered by clean energy. It was a turning point that opened the door to a more sustainable and efficient form of seafood production. Cheng recalls being deeply inspired by the possibility of earning a livelihood while reducing carbon emissions. Winter was especially difficult in his previous work—air pollution peaked during the colder months, and transport delays increased the mortality rate of live seafood. Switching from coal to solar power, he realised, could improve logistics while also contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment.

He was particularly drawn to the potential of floating solar photovoltaics (PV), which are solar panels installed on floating structures placed directly on water. This technology not only cuts emissions but also reduces competition for land, a major advantage in densely populated regions. China’s rapid expansion of solar capacity—accounting for around 63% of new global solar PV installations in 2024—has made such systems increasingly accessible for productive use in sectors like agriculture and aquaculture.

Motivated by these possibilities, Cheng took on the management of 146.7 hectares of land in Nanjing to develop a large-scale solar-powered aquaculture project. The land was provided to him at a discounted rate by the same company he had met earlier. The site now hosts a solar PV capacity of 50 megawatt-peak, generating around 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year. Beyond its role as a fishery, the area serves as a demonstration hub for integrating solar power with aquaculture, renewable energy research, and eco-tourism, with a primary focus on farming Chinese mitten crabs.

When the farm first began operating, Cheng faced scepticism from locals who doubted the feasibility of merging solar energy with aquaculture. Today, those doubts have disappeared. Instead, people regularly come forward, eager to participate in the business. The success of the farm has shown how combining renewable energy with agriculture can transform livelihoods, strengthen food and energy security, protect the environment and support climate action—all while increasing productivity and farmers’ incomes.

The positive impacts on the village and its residents have been significant. Environmentally, the solar panels provide shade during the hot summer months, lowering pond temperatures by 3 to 5°C and preventing the overheating and die-off of aquatic plants. Productivity has risen as well, with the farm now producing up to 175 tons of mitten crabs each year. This increase in yield has translated into much higher incomes for farmers working with Cheng, with some earning more than USD 138,000 annually.

Cheng proudly notes that within just three years, the business produced its first millionaire. Today, the farm helps create dozens of high-income farming households every year. Looking back, he firmly believes that solar-powered aquaculture represents the future of rural agriculture. For him, this innovative model is more than just an upgrade in farming technology—it is a new and inspiring vision for rural development, one that combines sustainability, economic growth and community wellbeing.