XINING, June 9 (Xinhua) — In the midst of China’s inexperienced power revolution, the world’s largest photo voltaic photovoltaic energy plant within the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau has created a singular improvement path, concurrently producing electrical energy whereas making nice contributions to poverty alleviation and ecological conservation efforts.
In late May, inexperienced lastly emerged within the yellow-gray expanse of the Talatan Gobi Desert in Gonghe County, a part of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s northwestern Qinghai Province.
Yehdor, a 48-year-old shepherd from Xaghelesi Village in Tiegai Township, was leisurely driving his motorbike, driving his flock of sheep to the photo voltaic photovoltaic energy plant owned by Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd.
Yehdor isn’t any stranger to photo voltaic photovoltaic panels, or what he calls “blue mirrors.” In 2006, he acquired two of those panels via a authorities undertaking selling solar energy to locals. From then on, the panels grew to become a part of his important tools, accompanying his tent and different requirements throughout his six-month shepherding journeys annually.
“I put the panels on the surface of my tent, and so they cost throughout the day, producing sufficient electrical energy to energy lights and different small home equipment all through the evening,” he stated.
“However, they’re nothing in comparison with this,” added Yehdor, pointing to the photo voltaic panels organized in a matrix on 4,000 hectares of desert land, shimmering like a blue silver sea of beneath the solar.
More than 200 sheep, a mixture of black and white, are seen roaming between the panels. Although it’s shocking, these sheep are tasked with defending the blue panels. Their robust urge for food, which was as soon as a headache for environmentalists, has develop into a necessity for sustaining the sleek operation of the solar energy station.
In 2012, the prefecture started building of China’s first 10 million kilowatt-class solar energy base in Talatan. Now, masking an space of 609 sq. kilometers, this solar energy base boasts an influence technology capability of 8,430 megawatts, making it the most important on the earth, in response to Qeyang, deputy director of the Hainan prefectural administration committee. inexperienced power industrial park.
It hosts 91 power enterprises, together with 63 photo voltaic photovoltaic energy enterprises and 28 wind energy enterprises. “Green power is the signature business of Hainan prefecture and our annual output accounts for 54.08 % of the full power generated in Qinghai,” Qeyang stated.
In a deliberation with lawmakers from Qinghai throughout the annual session of the National People’s Congress in March 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping gave directions to construct Qinghai right into a mountain of unpolluted power, a world eco-tourism vacation spot and a supply of inexperienced and natural agricultural and livestock merchandise, selling efforts to develop a inexperienced, low carbon and round financial system.
The Qinghai provincial authorities has, since then, accelerated its efforts to pursue the high-quality improvement of the inexperienced power business primarily based on native circumstances.
Currently, Qinghai’s whole put in energy technology capability is 54,970,800 kilowatts, with clear power accounting for 51,079,400 kilowatts, or 93 %, of the full. Talatan additionally witnessed nice modifications.
Located about 150 kilometers from the provincial capital of Qinghai, Xining, Talatan is positioned practically 3,000 meters above sea stage and is bombarded with intense photo voltaic radiation, which hinders plant progress. At the tip of the final century, the land’s desertification fee was as excessive as 98.5 %, making the photo voltaic panels put in right here susceptible to break from sand and gravel buffeted by robust winds.
Grass seeds are extensively planted on the base to forestall sand erosion. Amazingly, grass thrives right here, turning the photovoltaic panel park into an oasis in the summertime months.
According to satellite tv for pc distant sensing information launched by a joint analysis workforce of the State Power Investment Corporation Limited and Xi’an University of Technology, the wind velocity decreased by 50 %, the moisture evaporation of the soil decreased by 30 %. , and the plant cowl reached 80 % of the photovoltaic park within the final three years.
“It was a nice shock. The land remained barren for a very long time because of overgrazing within the early years. Despite our efforts to fight desertification utilizing varied strategies, we did little, ” stated Qeyang, including that the photovoltaic energy plant was sudden. modified the whole lot for good.
Photovoltaic panels cut back wind erosion of vegetation, whereas the water used for its cleansing seeps beneath the floor, nourishing the grass, and the manure can act as a pure fertilizer, additional benefiting the grass, defined by Shen Yongping, a researcher on the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources beneath the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
As the weeds develop and the sand floats, new challenges come up. Cao Jun, an engineer at Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd., expects weeds to be an issue for the photo voltaic farm, as they will create “sizzling spots,” which might result in malfunctions or fires. in winter fires.
In an effort to keep away from the environmental prices of herbicide spraying and the monetary prices of handbook weeding, Cao and his colleagues turned to sheep, seeing them as dwelling mowers.
“We weed twice a 12 months, however for the sheep, we solely do it as soon as, which saves prices,” stated Cao. Weeders are environment friendly, surrounding the farm.
The solar energy park has been encouraging the encircling villagers to boost what they name “photovoltaic sheep” since 2018. They have been given 4 free sheep pens, enabling the locals to proceed their conventional enterprise. at zero price.
Gonghe, as soon as a poor county, has been broken by harsh pure circumstances and depends solely on animal husbandry. Its per capita annual earnings in rural areas was lower than 12,000 yuan (about 1,688 US {dollars}) till it lastly eradicated poverty in 2019.
The rise of photovoltaic parks has introduced new job alternatives for locals and adjusted their conventional nomadic life-style of long-distance grazing.
Yehdor remembers the shortage of grass close to the pastures of their residence, inflicting them to journey continuously seeking pastures. They spent greater than half a 12 months away from their residence.
He stated the worst interval, which he remembers properly, was 1998 when the pure grass was not sufficient, which led to starvation and weak point of their cattle and sheep. Yehdor and his father needed to journey to a different village to purchase straw to feed them, whereupon Yehdor injured his ankle whereas pulling a tricycle loaded with straw on their method residence.
Starting from the age of eight, Yehdor helped his household have a tendency sheep and witnessed the ecological modifications in his hometown. “Now is the perfect time for rising grass that I can keep in mind,” he stated.
Yehdor was one of many first locals to take care of the sheep on the photo voltaic farm. He seen that his sheep had been now greater and fatter, fetching the next worth. “The sheep eat properly and have the next survival fee. My flock has virtually doubled, and my annual earnings reached 100,000 yuan final 12 months.”
Other villagers have additionally seized alternatives to earn further earnings on photo voltaic farms by cleansing photovoltaic modules, reducing grass and managing cargo within the park.
According to Chen Kelong, deputy chief of the Academy of Plateau Science and Sustainability at Qinghai Normal University, the “photovoltaic sheep” serves as an excellent innovation in selling the economic system and sustainable improvement in China.
Currently, 12 “photovoltaic sheep farms” have been established in Hainan prefecture. In 2023 alone, these farms offered 13,000 “photovoltaic sheep,” bringing the shepherds a complete earnings of 11 million yuan, in response to the publicity division of the prefectural authorities.
It added that throughout the prefecture, 173 poor villages generated a mixed earnings of 67 million yuan by taking part in photo voltaic photovoltaic farm-related companies in 2023 whereas 53,000 locals gained a mean further earnings of 675 yuan per particular person.
“The ‘photovoltaic sheep’ farm reveals the event of ‘new high quality productive forces’ tailored to the present circumstances of the plateau via a way recognized to science,” stated Chen.
The prefectural authorities is working at a fast tempo to advertise the farming business by establishing the Qinghai photovoltaic sheep model. It began the particular undertaking “photovoltaic sheep” in April 2023.
More “photovoltaic sheep” farms will probably be constructed and a monitoring system will probably be developed, with every sheep geared up with an digital ear tag. Farms are anticipated to optimize grazing administration and strictly regulate flock dimension as much as a most of 400 sheep per group, guaranteeing high quality requirements are met.
The prefectural authorities additionally plans to cooperate with native and worldwide social media and e-commerce platforms to advertise Qinghai’s “photovoltaic sheep,” selling a contemporary farming business that’s helpful to the economic system and livelihood. of individuals whereas preserving nature, in response to Chen.
(Reporting by Yi Ling, Gu Ling and Li Linhai; Video reporter: Zhang lengthy; Video editors: Li Ziwei, Cao Ying, Zhang Mocheng) a-