Rooftop solar panels are installed on an industrial building in Ningbo. [Photo/Yongpai app]

Ningbo's installed capacity of distributed solar power exceeded 10 gigawatts on Aug 12, making it the first city in China to reach the milestone. This came about after a 1.038-megawatt rooftop solar project at Ningbo Science High School in Qianwan New Area was connected to the grid.

The city's distributed solar systems are expected to generate about 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 5 million metric tons a year. In the first half of 2026, solar power accounted for more than 10 percent of Ningbo's total electricity consumption.

As a major manufacturing hub, Ningbo has integrated rooftop solar into factories, commercial facilities, and other parts of the local economy. Industrial rooftops account for 84 percent of the city's distributed solar capacity, while residential rooftops make up about 8.6 percent.

At Junhe Pump Industry Co in Fenghua district, a 3.5-MW rooftop solar project generates about 3.9 million kWh a year, with more than 90 percent consumed by the company itself. The project is expected to save more than 3 million yuan ($444,760) in annual electricity costs.

Ningbo has built more than 10,000 industrial distributed solar projects, including large installations at Volkswagen, Jintian Copper, and Ningbo Baoxin Stainless Steel. The city has also helped more than 20,000 industrial and commercial users cut energy costs through the "self-consumption with surplus power fed into the grid" model.

The expansion is also helping local manufacturers meet overseas customers' requirements for lower-carbon supply chains, strengthening their competitiveness in global markets.