Corn, millet and … rooftop solar? Farm family’s newest crop shows China’s solar ascendancy

By HUIZHONG WU and HAN GUAN NG
Associated Press

JINAN, China (AP) — China is the runaway leader in supplying the world with the hardware to gather solar power. Now it’s installing it at home at such a clip that the country’s grid is getting more than it can use in some places. That’s true in Shandong province, where Shi Mei and her husband decided a few years ago to supplement their farm income by buying a solar setup for their roof. Now they harvest the equivalent of $10,000 per year for the electricity that gets fed to the grid. Shi says “When the sun comes out, you make money.” Analysts and solar companies say the future will remain bright if China can quickly adapt to the oversupply.