As a core water source area for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, Yunxi County—nestled deep in the Qinba Mountains—has phased out traditional high-energy-consumption industries and is vigorously developing the new energy sector. Its industrial chain now encompasses photovoltaic power generation, R&D and production of power lithium batteries and energy storage systems, as well as electric bicycle and complete vehicle manufacturing. To ensure the smooth advancement of projects along this chain, the county has issued the "Several Opinions on Supporting the Development of the New Energy Vehicle Industry" and related policies, while promoting a service-oriented "shop assistant" spirit to provide comprehensive enterprise support.

40,000 Residents Benefit from Solar Power

On the morning of October 18, a Hubei Daily reporter ascended Wenjiapo Hill in Laijiahe Village, Hejia Town, Yunxi County. Looking out, the hillside was blanketed with solar panels glinting blue under the sun. Here lies the Laijiahe Photovoltaic Poverty Alleviation Power Station—the largest multi-village joint PV poverty alleviation project in Hubei Province, with a total installed capacity of 100 MW. Since achieving full-capacity grid connection in November 2020, the station has generated 179 million kWh of cumulative electricity.

Zhou Zhenkui, a villager from Laijiahe, shared that at age 65, he earns 4,000 yuan annually working as a local sanitation worker, allowing him to care for his family while supplementing his income. According to Qin Yuanqing, Party Secretary of Laijiahe Village, the PV station has enabled the creation of eight public welfare posts—including cleaners, security patrol officers, and road maintenance workers—boosting rural incomes and increasing annual collective economic revenue by over 50,000 yuan.

Yunxi County experiences approximately 187 days per year with average daily sunshine exceeding six hours, classifying it as a Class I Solar Resource Utilization Area in Hubei Province. Since 2015, the county has constructed 2 ground-mounted PV stations and 97 PV poverty alleviation stations, with a combined installed capacity of roughly 220 MW. All were connected to the grid by 2019, benefiting 14,474 households (40,614 individuals) across 286 administrative villages.

In addition to PV power, Yunxi currently operates 28 hydropower stations—including Dailingzi and Gushan—with a total installed capacity of 490 MW. The county is also implementing county-wide rooftop distributed PV development in phases, expected to add over 150 MW of capacity. By 2025, the county's total clean energy installed capacity is projected to exceed 1 GW.

Energy Storage Leader Rises in the Mountains

Inside the dust-free workshop of Hubei Huijuxin New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. at the Yunxi Lithium-Ion New Energy Industrial Park, production proceeds methodically. Copper foil, measuring just 8 microns thick—thinner than a human hair—moves steadily through a 21-meter coating machine where it receives a layer of anode material.

Huijuxin is a lithium battery enterprise introduced by Yunxi County this year, settling in April and commencing trial production in July. Company head Zhong Haiming noted that the products, which include digital batteries for mobile phones, tablet computers, and Bluetooth earphones, are produced across 6 fully operational production lines with an annual capacity exceeding 30 million units and an estimated output value of 300 million yuan.

In the new energy application sector, Yunxi prioritizes lithium battery energy storage for investment promotion, offering policy support. As early as August 2016, Yunxi introduced Guangdong Dynavolt New Energy Technology. In October 2017, the 1 billion yuan Shiyan Dynavolt Lithium Battery Project commenced. Today, Shiyan Dynavolt boasts an annual production capacity of 2.5 GWh for automotive power and energy storage lithium batteries, supported by manufacturing capability for 50,000 sets of BMS battery management systems annually.

"Our products supply over twenty new energy vehicle manufacturers, including Guangzhou Xiaopeng, Dongfeng Special Vehicle, and Sunra EV," stated Huang Xinping, Sales Manager at Shiyan Dynavolt, adding that the company also provides products and services to more than ten vehicle OEMs like Dongfeng Sokon, SAIC Motor, and Wuling Motors. At full production capacity, the project is expected to generate 3 billion yuan in output value.

Beyond lithium batteries, Dynavolt's new energy industrial chain has expanded into passenger vehicles and electric bicycles. The company manufactures RVs equipped with LFP cells for export to Dubai, Europe, and the U.S., with over 5,000 units ordered this year. In 2020, a Hello two-wheeler vehicle assembly line was introduced; vehicles produced have already been deployed in Yunxi and Shiyan. Upon completion of Phase III, the facility will form a production base capable of manufacturing 1 million electric bicycles annually.

NEV Manufacturer Targets 10 Billion Yuan Annual Output

"The factory floor space has more than tripled," observed staff at Hubei Tiandao New Energy Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd., where newly constructed stamping, welding, painting, inspection, and component workshops have been completed and are undergoing equipment commissioning.

"The contract was finalized just before midnight—it was quite moving," recalled Ye Gaohua, Deputy General Manager of Tiandao New Energy Automobile. He noted the persistent efforts of county leadership, which, combined with Yunxi's attractive lithium battery industry cluster and supportive policies, culminated in the company's establishment there in September 2019. At that time, the factory site consisted primarily of undeveloped land. Today, Phases I and II are complete, representing an investment exceeding 1.2 billion yuan and expanding the facility by over 130,000 square meters, bringing the total area to 162,000 square meters. Phase III, with an additional investment of over 700 million yuan, will include an R&D center, machining workshops, and specialty vehicle production lines.

Tiandao primarily manufactures new energy tractors, lightweight logistics vehicles, dump trucks, and specialized vehicles. Once fully operational, the company will produce 20,000 new energy vehicles annually, generating an output value of 15 billion yuan.

As Shiyan Dynavolt and Tiandao New Energy Automobile expand, they collectively attract over ten additional new energy-related enterprises to the region county.

"Adhering to low-carbon, circular economy principles and ecological sustainability, we are pursuing breakthrough development of the new energy industry," stated Zha Hong, Secretary of the Yunxi County Party Committee. He affirmed the county's commitment to accelerating the new energy vehicle industrial park, creating a comprehensive industrial cluster to solidify the foundation for "economic multiplication and leapfrog development."