小资金，大转变：通过光伏扶贫、村集体风电投资及青年与女性赋能实现乡村振兴案例集

Small Money, Big Change A Casebook on Rural Revitalization Through SolarPoverty Alleviation, Village Collectives' Wind PowerInvestment, and Youth and Women Empowerment Author: Green & Inclusive Finance team, New Energy Nexus China ABOUT US New Energy Nexus (NEX), as a world-leading clean energy accelerator, has been dedicated to advancing theglobal energy transition. Over the past two decades, we have supported numerous startups and entrepreneursthrough a series of initiatives. Together, we have fostered a clean energy ecosystem, and have taken concrete As the extension of this mission in China, NEX China is deeply rooted locally, providing tailored businessmatchmaking and consulting services to local governments, industrial parks, universities, and enterprises of allsizes. By leveraging technological innovation, it aims to drive energy transition and achieve carbon neutrality goals. PREFACE This casebook tackles some deceptively simple yet vital questions: Why is renewable energy a key leverfor China's rural revitalization? Where does the money come from? Can China's model inspire the On one hand, rural China faces energy transition challenges, yet government money alone cannot fill anannual funding gap of roughly 2 trillion RMB. On the other hand, rural areas not only bear the brunt of The casebook demonstrates that when deployed smartly, small money can lever far larger capital flows—through innovative financing models that combine policy-driven, market-driven, and philanthropic &social capital. Well-designed and built on grassroots participation and trust, they boost household andcollective income, reduce emissions, improve living standards, and create inclusive new industries. Thecases offer replicable lessons not only for other Chinese villages, but also for the Global South. They Case Overview TCL Foundation –Solar-Powered Low-Carbon Campus 1.6 MW solar capacity was installed across 27 schools, cutting 40,000 tons CO₂ and generating 17.4 millionRMB in returns, proving philanthropic capital can fund sustainable infrastructure. Tencent SSV – Solar Trust A dual "charitable + capital" trust funded rooftop PV, providing households with rents while surplus revenuesfinanced healthcare and education, piloting a "finance + philanthropy + industry" model. Trina Solar × MYbank – Green Supply Chain Finance Fintech-driven AI risk models cut loan rates by 21% for small solar distributors. With zero defaults, thisexpanded household PV coverage in counties. Dalad Banner, Inner Mongolia –Village Collectives' Wind Project Village collectives co-invested with government and banks in a 75.6m RMB wind farm. 132 collectives becameshareholders, each receiving guaranteed dividends of 50,000 RMB annually, ensuring true local benefit. Tianmen, Hubei – Women Drone Pilots A 30,000 RMB seed money trained 2,000+ women as agri-drone pilots. Now servicing over 1 million mu offarmland annually, they cut pesticide use and pollution, and created new income. One trainee, having earned Tieniu Village, Chengdu – “New Villagers” Returning youth and social enterprises combined eco-farming and tourism, creating new opportunities for low-carbon energy use in the countryside. Revenues were reinvested into soil restoration, forming a positive cycle. Fengma Philanthropy – Warm Classrooms on Plateau Corporate donations and crowdfunding replaced coal with clean heating in a plateau boarding school, providing270+ students 30 extra learning days per year and cutting 167–194 tons of CO₂ annually. CONTENT 01 What Questions Are We Addressing?05 02 Why Is Renewable Energy a KeyLever for Rural Revitalization? 03 Where Does the Money Come From?How Is It Used? 04 Cases When Companies Get Involved in Rural Renewables — HowCan Solar Philanthropy Truly Deliver?How Does Technology Reshape Rural Finance and EnergyNetworksFrom “Me” to “We” — Revenue-Sharing & GovernanceInnovationRural New Forces Coming Together for Green Development:Returning Youth, Women, and Grassroots NGOs 05 Summary and Outlook – LeveragingInnovative Financing to Unlock a68 Appendix WHAT QUESTIONS ARE WE What Questions Are We Addressing? In China, one of the most pressing challenges in leveraging new energy for rural revitalization is three-fold:where does the money come from, how does it reach the rural area, and how can it genuinely benefit rural “Climate change affects the rural area not only through the natural Why is this issue so urgent? Because climate change is intensifying the vulnerabilities of rural areas. Ecological impacts Climate disruptions are undermining the naturalfoundations of rural livelihoods. Floods and droughtsthreaten people’s livelihoods. Soil erosion, landdegradation, and biodiversity loss not only weakenagricultural sustainability, but also drive up costs of Income impacts Rural households and migrant workers faceheightened economic vulnerability. Extreme weatherevents damage crops on a large scale within shortperiods