NANJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Decades of coal mining once scarred some regions of China, leaving behind stretches of barren, subsided mining land. However, these areas are now being transformed into new sources of clean energy.

In Peixian, a county in the city of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, thousands of gleaming solar panels now stretch across still waters in a former mining subsidence area.

Covering more than 702 hectares, the green energy base, operated by the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company, boasts an installed solar capacity of 500 megawatts and supplies clean electricity to local businesses and nearby villages.

"This project can generate more than 600 million kilowatt-hours of clean power annually," said Xu He, project manager at the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company. "That's equivalent to saving 190,000 tonnes of coal and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 490,000 tonnes each year."

The site is part of an increasingly popular solar-fishery model that combines power generation above water with aquaculture below, benefiting both the environment and local livelihoods.

The green transformation is more than reducing carbon emissions. It is also a story of ecological rebirth.

For decades, Xuzhou was a key coal supplier in Jiangsu, one of China's most industrialized provinces. However, mining has left behind about 28,000 hectares of subsided land and damaged ecosystems. Now, the city is reshaping its landscape and also its future.

"Now we have wetlands, clear water, and birds coming back," said Li Meng, a Xuzhou resident who lives near one of the restored sites. "People walk, jog and fish here in the evening. It's completely different from what it used to be."

Another solar-fishery site in Xuzhou's Liuxin Township has also restored vitality to the landscape. It can generate nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity each year.

Xuzhou's green transition has fueled economic growth. "Last year, the city's new energy sector generated over 100 billion yuan (about 14.1 billion U.S. dollars) in total output value," Xu said. "Dozens of national-level green factories have been built here, creating a strong local supply chain for renewable technologies."

For Zhang Kai, general manager of a hydrogen fuel cell company in Peixian County, the region's shift has created fertile ground for innovation.

"Our focus on clean energy aligns perfectly with Xuzhou's transition," Zhang said. "We're producing up to 10,000 fuel-cell stacks annually and collaborating with local universities to build a hydrogen testing center."

The once black coalfields that powered China's growth are now turning blue and green -- an epitome of the country's accelerating shift toward renewable energy as it strives to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan for renewable energy development encourages the development of solar projects on former mining lands, subsidence zones, and industrial waste sites.

Similar projects are being built nationwide. In Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China, a 500-megawatt solar farm has been built in an abandoned mine area. The panels generate electricity and also reduce soil erosion, water loss and dust. Beneath them, drought-resistant vegetation thrives.

In Huainan, Anhui Province, eastern China, a 390-megawatt project began construction in September and is expected to produce 10.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity over its lifespan.

In Shanxi Province, China's traditional coal heartland, a solar project with an investment of 21 billion yuan is under construction. Upon completion, it will supply 9.3 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy to northern cities, including Beijing and Tianjin, annually.

Driven by green ambitions, China's solar capacity continues to surge amid an investment boom. According to the National Energy Administration, the country's installed solar power capacity reached 1,120 gigawatts by August, up 48.5 percent from a year earlier. ■