According to Global Times, those panels were put at an expressway section linking Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and they should generate 4.2 million kilowatt hours and 80 percent of the power will be fed into the state grid.

The photovoltaic systems cover a space of 41 kilometers, the technology incorporated allows them to rotate in the direction of the sun and produce 20 percent more energy than previous generations of panels.

According to experts, in addition to its usefulness in the current electricity crisis, the project is an alternative so that Sichuan can cut its dependence on hydropower, its main renewable source.

Sichuan resorted to the cessation of industrial production, as it is one of the hardest hit provinces by China’s longest and most intense hot period since 1961, with several consecutive days on red alert for high temperatures, dozens of dry rivers, and an alarming reduction in the water of its two main lakes.

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