State-owned Guangming Company of China recently formed a partnership with German government aid group Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau to build 30 solar energy plants in Yunnan Province. The facilities will generate up to 300 clean kilowatts, enough power for 900 to 1,500 homes.

The central government tasked an advisory panel from the Solar Energy Research Institute of Yunnan Normal University with the project's success. Dr Xie Jian, deputy director of the Institute, was selected as chairman.

Dr Xie has worked with the Japanese, American, and German energy ministries during his 30-year tenure. He often lectures on the market viability of clean energy while on the conference circuit, invoking Kunming's reputation abroad as the Solar City.

"It's a bit more expensive, but people in Kunming want to use clean energy; they think it's a good choice," Dr Xie told GoKunming. "As the technology becomes more efficient, it will be used by businesses as well."

About half of the provincial capital's households heat their water with solar power, he said.

Beijing's financing of the international project may indicate that public funds, one possible catalyst for the broad application of solar energy, will be available for similar projects in the future.