For Zhang Haoqian, scoring in a global innovation competition went beyond the recognition of his team's efforts in lighting up the houses of herdsmen in remote villages on the grassland.

It has also been an enlightening experience for him and other young Chinese innovators.

"I never thought I could go that far to organize a company for power generation, at least not when I was at university," said the 22-year-old student from North China Electric Power University, whose headquarters is in Baoding, Hebei province.