In the heart of the Kubuqi Desert in northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, rows of blue solar panels shine under the winter sun. These panels transform sunlight into electricity, which powers thousands of homes.
Beneath the panels, various types of shrubs stand resilient despite their yellowed leaves, helping protect the land from wind and sand.
By the end of 2023, a one-gigawatt solar power project in the area was successfully connected to the grid. This project covers 30,000 mu (about 2,000 hectares) of desert, turning it into a vast solar field with thriving vegetation below the panels. According to Na Guiting, the project manager, “This transformation is a significant milestone for the Kubuqi Desert’s development.”
The Kubuqi Desert project is part of the first phase of the Kubuqi Desert Ordos Central-Northern New Energy Base. This base is one of China’s largest renewable energy projects, with a total capacity exceeding 10 gigawatts. The base will include eight gigawatts of solar power, four gigawatts of wind power, and four gigawatts of supporting coal power.
The electricity generated will be sent to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region through a system that combines solar, wind, coal, and energy storage. About 230,000 mu of the area will be dedicated to photovoltaic sand control. When the project is finished, it is expected to provide around 40 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually to the region. Over 50% of this electricity will come from clean energy sources, saving roughly 6 million tonnes of coal and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 16 million tonnes each year.
This project highlights China’s efforts to merge renewable energy with ecological restoration. In northern China’s arid areas, cutting-edge technology is helping to combat desertification and promote environmental renewal.
In Gansu Province, solar energy projects are being combined with afforestation programs at the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert. This synergy restores ecosystems and boosts local economic growth. Villagers are also finding jobs in these initiatives, which blend green technology with local participation.
“I never imagined that as a farmer, I could work in the sand dunes,” said Qin Zhaoping, a resident of Hengliang Township in Gansu’s Gulang County. His work involves adjusting irrigation systems under the solar panels and caring for the plants growing in the sand.
For Qin, this work is meaningful. “It generates electricity, helps fight desertification, and provides me with income,” he said.
According to official data, 53% of China’s treatable desertified land has been restored, leading to a net reduction of approximately 4.33 million hectares of degraded land.
In Inner Mongolia’s Ordos, the city is expanding its solar power bases not only in traditional desert areas but also in coal mining subsidence zones, areas once seen as unusable. In November 2024, a three-gigawatt solar power station was connected to the grid in Otog Front Banner of Ordos. Built by CHN Energy Investment Group, it is the largest solar power station on a coal mining subsidence zone in China.
This power station is expected to generate 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the energy needs of two million families.
“Solar power stations are lightweight and can be placed on subsidence zones that were once too difficult to use,” said Gao Peng, deputy project manager of the Otog Front Banner solar power station. “Solar projects also have low construction costs and can be easily adapted if subsidence issues occur, ensuring safety during operation.”
These initiatives demonstrate how solar energy is transforming not only the environment but also local economies, creating a sustainable future for both people and the planet.
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