Solar power lights up the path to prosperity

Xu Haicheng's family eradciated proverty by planting potatos in greenhouses. Yuan Qingpan / China Daily

Today, hoofprints pock the cracked earth across Desheng's parched prairies.

But the constant sunshine doesn't always translate as heat.

Temperatures can fluctuate from about 35 C to roughly 7 C within 24 hours.

Typically, days are scorching and nights are chilly. It can drop to -35 C in winter.

The conditions made it difficult to grow crops, until recently constructed greenhouses shielded them from temperature changes, enabling the people to plant potatoes belonging to the registered brand, Desheng, which takes its name from the village.

The structures' environmental controls also protect against insects, eliminating the need for pesticides and enabling the cultivation of natural spuds.

Roughly 280 greenhouses cover about 20 hectares, Ye said.

Those built with government subsidies cost about 1,000 yuan to rent annually.

Villager Xu Haicheng calls Desheng potatoes "golden beans", or jindoudou.

His family can plant 200,000 potatoes and earn 60,000 yuan per greenhouse per harvest.

Yields require three years from the first planting. The spuds must be harvested and stored in his cellar during winter.

Subsidies and sunshine

The local government subsidizes six of his 13 greenhouses. Some of those for which his family will pay all the costs for those still under construction.

He previously planted such hardy crops as naked oats, flax, potatoes and sugar beets - and hoped for the best in terms of the weather.

"The crops were jeopardized without greenhouses," Xu said.