Photovoltaic power generation projects sound beautiful, who doesn't want to invest in it, sit back and enjoy it, and get a good return? But the scam behind this has caused many farmers to fall into the trap and suffer heavy losses. This scam is under the guise of green energy, specifically targeting those farmers who are not very knowledgeable, and let them fall into it step by step.
One day, a man claiming to be a photovoltaic company comes to your village with a shiny brochure. They gush about how long you invest in their PV projects, and the annual returns can reach an astonishing 20%! Where can the interest on bank deposits compare to this? When the peasant friends heard this, didn't they get moved?
The information in the hands of the people of these photovoltaic companies looks very professional, and the contracts are very formal. And they will also say that this is a state-supported new energy project, with subsidies and low risk. It's so well said, who doesn't get excited?
But actually, there's a lot of stuff in it. They will ask you to sign a contract, which seems legitimate, but in fact it is full of pitfalls. There are all kinds of unreasonable clauses hidden in this contract, but they are all covered up by those professional terms, how can ordinary people understand it? Most of the farmers don't have that much experience, so they naturally don't know much about these complicated terms.
After signing the contract and investing the money, the next thing is even more of a headache. These PV companies may not have installed any high-tech PV panels on your land at all, or they may have installed some equipment of very poor quality. They are busy on the land, in fact, most of them are superficial, and real photovoltaic power generation equipment is not worth so much money at all.
Let's take a look at this so-called "high rate of return", which is actually a big fool. They may give you a return for the first year, make you feel like you are really what they say, and then invest more or bring more people on board. When the truth is revealed, you will find that the previous gains are only paid with the investment of later generations, isn't this the legendary Ponzi scheme?
Wang Li is one such example. She originally lived a peaceful life, and when she heard about the high return of photovoltaic power generation, she was tempted. Invest all your hard-earned money into it, and the result? The equipment is simply inefficient in generating electricity, and the return is far lower than expected, and in the end, even the principal cannot be recovered. Not only is she now no longer in her original stable life, but she is also burdened with heavy debts.
These scammers take advantage of farmers' ignorance of new technologies and their desire for high returns. Their brochures and contracts look flawless, but they're all in the air. Once this scam starts, it snowballs and grows bigger and bigger and more and more people get caught up in it. They may also use false data to deceive you, such as electricity output and actual market prices. These numbers sound appealing, but they're actually all about getting you to shell out money.
These scams are not only a financial loss, but also a betrayal of the trust and hope of farmers. The money and resources that should have been used to improve agricultural efficiency and living conditions have ended up being used as tools to fill the pockets of scammers. She had planned to use the return on investment to improve her family's living conditions, perhaps by repairing an old house or providing a better education for her children. But now, not only is she unable to fulfill these good wishes, but she also runs the risk of losing her current home. This shift has affected not only her finances, but also her family and mental state.