HOHHOT: On the edge of the Ulan Buh Desert in north China, rows of photovoltaic panels shine in the sun. Masses of plants can be seen growing beneath and between them in summer. This new “photovoltaic plus ecological governance” project is transforming the appearance of this arid landscape, adding vivid blues and greens to the yellow desert sand.
“The panels take in the sunlight, which helps reduce evaporation from the sand and foster a favorable environment for desert plants like saxaul trees. This helps mitigate the flow of wind and sand,” said Zheng Qian, head of an ecological company implementing the project in Dengkou County, in the city of Bayannur.
The height of the panels and space between them has also been increased to provide enough room for the plants to grow, Zheng said.
The project is expected to generate 1.65 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually once it is put into operation, with an annual output value of 467 million yuan (65.69 million U.S. dollars). It will also cut carbon emissions by 1.72 million tonnes and save 672,700 tonnes of coal every year. The project, covering around 26,000 mu (1,733 hectares), has created over 4,000 jobs during the construction phase.
Dengkou had only about 50,000 trees in 1949, while 77 percent of its area was desert. Over the past several decades, a total of 2.1 million mu of land has been afforested. –Agencies
