A wind farm generates power for grids in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo by YAO FENG/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Foreign experts lauded the progress Zhejiang province has made toward sustainable development during a recent visit to several sites focused on green energy and green industrial production.

"I've been quite interested in Zhejiang since I first came to Hangzhou. It's a very green province… I didn't expect everyone to be so enthusiastic about moving toward green energy and a green future," said Alfred Taylor, a British scholar and second-year doctoral student specializing in space technology at Beihang University.

From Sunday to Wednesday, experts and scholars from over a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Gambia and India, toured Zhejiang. Their itinerary included visits to sites such as a natural gas cogeneration project in Shaoxing, the Joyoung Brand Experience Center, CHINT Group Co and Geely Holding Group in Hangzhou, all of which left a strong impression.

One highlight of the trip was a visit to the China Datang Corporation Changdatu Tidal Photovoltaic Power Station in Ningbo.

Covering approximately 301 hectares of mud flat, it is the country's largest coastal intertidal mud flat photovoltaic project. The project's photovoltaic panels deliver 340 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity to the grid a year, meeting the power needs of 110,000 households, with a yearly output value of 142 million yuan ($19.8 million), according to the company.

Over the past three years, the station has supplied about 1 billion kWh of clean energy to the grid, saving 294,400 metric tons of standard coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 794,500 tons, the company added.

"I'm really impressed by the solar plant at the seaside and how it can provide power while also supporting fishing activities at the site," said Rohey Njie, a Gambian graduate student studying biology at Zhejiang University. "It was massive, and it was literally my first time seeing something like that. I hope we can achieve something similar in my home country."

After visiting the gas cogeneration project, Taylor said he admired how excess heat from the plant is redirected to other consumers. He also noted the differences between the Chinese and British electrical grids, particularly how the Chinese grid adapts to meet demand.

"The British electrical grid is much smaller than the Chinese one, so when demand for electricity increases, it puts more strain on the grid," he said.

Uzbek scholar Obid Tursunov praised China's efforts in reducing carbon emissions through the promotion of renewable energy, saying that the country is making great progress toward its targets.

Altaf Deviyati, secretary-general of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, admitted she was unaware of the level of development in China before her visit.

"Over the past few days, I've been more than impressed by the scale and especially the speed at which China is advancing toward strengthening its green energy," she said.