From coal to clean: One man's journey

During his three years of studying electrical engineering and automation at an engineering college in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang province, Xiao Lijia acquired only limited knowledge of new energy power generation from textbooks. He never thought he would have a career in the industry.

Now, as a senior electrical engineer at the Northeast Branch of China Three Gorges New Energy Co, he has participated in the construction and operation of more than 10 wind and solar power plants in Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces.

"After graduating from senior high school in 1992, I chose to focus on electricity in college because I was told it would be easier for graduates to get jobs," said the 47-year-old engineer. "And it was true. I was assigned to the Hegang coal-fired power plant in Heilongjiang province as a technician after graduation in 1995."