Solution: Lighting up a town: How China's first 24-hour green electricity community was built

Abstract: To address challenges in integrating locally abundant wind and solar power, and to transform natural resource advantages into drivers of high-quality development, State Grid Yinchuan overcame multiple technical hurdles and established a town-level fully green power supply system. Minning Town has been shaped as China’s first “Green Power Town,” achieving 24-hour green electricity supply with nearly 100% renewable energy utilization. This attracted RMB 510 million in new investment from renewable energy companies and reduced carbon emissions by 48,000 tons annually, opening a new path for green development in small towns.

Challenge

In the wind- and solar-rich regions along the ancient Silk Road — across Ningxia, Gansu, and beyond — new energy capacity has surged. Yet round-the-clock green power remains out of reach. Intermittency is the culprit: the wind doesn't always blow and the sun doesn't always shine. The result is chronic underutilization and weak economic returns. State Grid Yinchuan identified three specific barriers:

• Unbalanced supply and demand. Without scientific forecasting, renewable development often overshoots or undershoots actual local demand.

• Inflexible grid control. Township-level coordination has been too crude to manage the ebb and flow of variable renewables — leading to frequent supply-demand mismatches.

• Unreliable green power for consumers. Businesses hesitant to invest in the region worry: if the grid flickers, can green power be guaranteed? That uncertainty was killing the region's biggest selling point.

 Solution

Minning Green Power Town — A Three-Role System

State Grid Yinchuan chose the Minning Township as its pilot, building a "Green Power Town" organized around three interlocking roles:

The "Chief of Staff" — Optimal Green Energy Matching

Yongning developed the world's first "24-Hour Green Electricity" optimal ratio model for new energy systems. It calculates the precise configuration of generation, storage, and load in real time — ensuring every megawatt of solar or wind is positioned where it can be used. No guesswork. No waste.

The "Commander" — Coordinated Control at Township Level

An internationally pioneering 24-hour green electricity coordination strategy was rolled out at the township level. The system shifts peaks and fills valleys across the microgrid, pushing renewable utilization close to 100% — while still exporting surplus power safely to the main grid.

The "Special Forces" — Grid-Forming Energy Storage

Grid-forming energy storage systems were installed to stabilize voltage and frequency in real time. They enable seamless switching between grid-connected and islanded modes — so the town can sustain full green power supply even when disconnected from the wider grid. The three roles operate in concert, like a precision team.

First in China: Off-Grid 110kV New Power System

The result? Yongning became the first in China to achieve independent off-grid operation of a 110kV new power system powered entirely by renewables. Minning Green Power Town is now China's first township-level 24-hour all-green electricity system. The spark has caught. The fire is spreading.

Impact & Value

Economic 

The Green Power Town generates revenue through three channels: hardware and software sales, profit-sharing with renewable energy enterprises, and data analytics services. In Minning Township alone:

• New energy generation adds approximately 37 million kWh annually

• Energy storage generates over ¥48 million in annual revenue

• PV poverty-alleviation projects produce approximately ¥7 million in annual electricity income

• Energy costs for businesses drop by over 30%, boosting export competitiveness

• 15,000 local households gain an estimated ¥15 million in additional income each year

Social  

Green energy is now Yongning's competitive advantage — attracting new investment of approximately ¥510 million in renewable enterprises. The model is designed to scale: 2,140 wind- and solar-rich townships along the Silk Road could replicate the approach, potentially creating 214 new Green Power Towns and transforming regional economic development.

Environmental  

In the Minning area, renewable utilization exceeds 98.5%. Green electricity consumption reaches 140 million kWh annually, saving approximately 40,000 tonnes of standard coal and avoiding 110,000 tonnes of CO₂ each year. Across the broader region, an additional 1,330MW of new renewable capacity generates 176 million kWh of clean electricity and cuts carbon by 48,000 tonnes annually — a meaningful contribution to the global fight against climate change.