Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region is further strengthening its pioneering position in promoting renewable energy by installing solar panels on rooftops enabling residents to sell power back to the grid.

Ningxia receives an average of around 3,000 sunlight hours per year, making it one of the sunniest areas in the country. The provincial-level region is also China's first for renewable energy generation, solar and wind, to overtake local demand.

Tongxin Party secretary Chen Hua said the grid-connected capacity of distributed photovoltaic systems has reached 125.62 megawatts in the county as of December.

The installations generate about 226 million kilowatt-hours annually — enough to power around 90,000 Chinese households for a year — bringing in roughly 40 million yuan ($5.7 million) in annual power sales for local residents.

Chen said that as well as the environmental benefits, the program has contributed to rural poverty alleviation.

"Their (the residents') wish each morning is simply to see the sun,"Chen said. "When the sun shines, income comes in."

One beneficiary is Ma Zhanhai, a farmer in Yuhai township, who invested 200,000 yuan in rooftop solar panels.

With annual power generation of around 150,000 kWh, he is expected to recover his costs within five years and earn profits for the remainder of the system's 25-year life span.