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China's photovoltaic poverty alleviation power stations (PPAPS) properly combine poverty alleviation and renewable power generation while also meeting rural energy demands. The fundamental problem is how to optimize the benefits of PPAPS during its limited lifetime. Using the post-operation of photovoltaic poverty alleviation power plants as a starting point, this paper proposes a model combining real option theory and cooperative game to determine the ideal contract period of service committed by the government to the operation and maintenance (O&M) company, thus providing a reference for both parties. The model's validity and applicability are verified by incorporating a PPAPS from Henan Province in China as an example; ultimately, the factors influencing the O&M contract period are ranked using the Sobol global sensitivity analysis. The results show that when the solar industry's environment is positive, the government is more inclined to sign long-term contracts with O&M companies. In contrast, the more the government invests in the facilities, the more likely both parties will sign short-term contracts. Furthermore, the O&M company's capital investment in the power station has a direct impact on the contract period. Finally, corresponding policy recommendations are proposed for future O&M contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photovoltaic poverty alleviation (PV-PA) policy is a promising policy innovation to achieve sustainable development in China. Based on first-hand field investigation data of 18 prefecture-level cities and 110 counties in China's Henan Province, this paper first evaluated the efficiency of PV-PA policy and analyzed its spatial correlation characteristics by adopting data envelopment analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis and social network analysis methods. The results show that: (1) the comprehensive efficiency of the PV-PA policy in Henan Province is good, and that of the prefecture-level is better than the county-level, with great differences; (2) comprehensive efficiency of the PV-PA policy shows a significant spatial agglomeration phenomenon at the county-level, and regional development imbalance exists; and (3) PV-PA policy network linkages at prefecture-level are relatively weak. Finally, this paper makes policy recommendations for optimizing project scale, promoting regional balanced development, strengthening supervision and management, and enhancing the cooperation between policymakers. • DEA was used to evaluate the efficiency of the PV-PA policy in China's 110 counties • Explored the spatial correlation patterns of the PV-PA policy efficiency • Constructed a spatial correlation network for the PV-PA policy efficiency • Comprehensive efficiency of PV-PA policy needs to be enhanced • Unbalanced development and regional uncoordinated situation needs improvement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic poverty alleviation power stations (PPAPS) are the foundation of poverty alleviation, whose operation and maintenance (O&M) status is the key to ensuring long-term poverty reduction advantages. As part of PPAPS′ O&M performance, the role of the O&M contracts has yet to be proven. This paper uses a three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and grey relation analysis (GRA) to analyze the O&M performance efficiency of PPAPS and the influencing factors of contract governance from field data of 110 counties in Henan Province, China. The results show that:1) the O&M efficiency of the PPAPS is relatively high and inconsistent across the region, which has not yet attained optimal productivity; 2) the present efficiency is mainly determined by the initial investment size and installed capacity; 3) the governance factors of O&M contracts affect the performance efficiency of PPAPS, which may lead to overestimation; and 4) longer contract term and higher performance incentive coefficients may result in inefficiencies at the initial stage of PPAPS′ use, while government subsidies allocation and timely O&M cost settlement have little impact on O&M efficiency. This paper proposes corresponding policy recommendations finally. • This paper focuses on the true O&M performance efficiency of PPAPS and influencing factors of contractual. • PPAPS′ O&M performance efficiency is relatively high with regional differences among counties. • The initial investment and capacity installed mostly determined the present efficiency. • Longer O&M contract terms and a higher achievements drive will result in inefficiency at the initial stage of PPAPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has made remarkable progress in poverty alleviation. However, the key to consolidating the existing poverty alleviation achievements is how to prevent rural households out of poverty from regressing back poverty; in other words, how they can maintain livelihood sustainability? According to a theoretical analysis of livelihood sustainability, based on the "whole process" of the livelihood development of rural households out of poverty in China, this article puts forward three determinants of livelihood sustainability – livelihood basis, livelihood acceleration and livelihood environment, establishes the dynamic mechanism framework from the perspective of the "acting force" and a corresponding evaluation indicator system. Taking Hua County of Henan Province, one of the first poverty alleviation counties in China, as an example, according to the questionnaire of rural households out of poverty, this paper analyzes the current static livelihood characteristics of rural households out of poverty and the dynamic mechanisms of livelihood sustainability in the process of poverty alleviation on the basis of the quantitative measurement of livelihood sustainability. The main conclusions are as follows: (i) Livelihood basis, livelihood acceleration, livelihood environment and livelihood sustainability of rural households out of poverty in Hua County are at the medium level as a whole. (ii) Livelihood resources, especially labor resources, and the initiative of rural households to develop their livelihood, have important influences on sustainability; rural households that lifted themselves out of poverty earlier, are located in characteristic industrial zones or modern industrial zones, or adopt diversified or non-agricultural production modes, have a higher level of livelihood sustainability. (iii) The sustainable livelihood development of rural households out of poverty needs to stimulate the endogenous power of rural households to generate positive livelihood acceleration on the premise of securing a livelihood basis, supplemented by suitable livelihood environment support. In the process of poverty alleviation, the livelihood basis, livelihood acceleration and livelihood environment play the roles of the "starting force", "driving force" and "supporting force" respectively in order to jointly affect the livelihood behavior of rural households, form different levels of livelihood performance, and present different dynamic processes of livelihood sustainability. These findings are of great value for other developing countries' improving livelihood sustainability of rural households. • We put forward three determinants that promote sustainable livelihood development by adopting the metaphor of acceleration in kinematics and establish a dynamic mechanism framework from the perspective of the "acting force". • The sustainable livelihood development of rural households out of poverty needs to stimulate the endogenous power of rural households to generate positive livelihood acceleration on the premise of securing a livelihood basis, supplemented by suitable livelihood environment support. • Livelihood resources, livelihood structures, industry types and the initiative of rural households to develop their livelihood, have important influences on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]