In Depth: China’s ‘EV Battery Capital’ Turns to Solar

In the span of four years, Yibin went from a prefecture-level city known for coal and baijiu to the “Capital of Power Batteries,” on account of its large portion of China’s electric vehicle (EV) battery production.

But the local industry has become saturated, according to government officials. In search of a new growth engine, the city is trying to cultivate another clean energy sector: solar power.