BEIJING, 13th June, 2024 (WAM) -- The construction of a "photovoltaic Great Wall," comprising rows of blue solar panels, is underway deep in the Kubuqi Desert in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
According to the People's Daily Online, the "photovoltaic Great Wall" will span hundreds of kilometres upon completion.
Zhong Yuzhan, deputy head of the energy bureau of Dalad Banner, Inner Mongolia, described the project as not only a "Great Wall" of solar panels but also a symbol of green electricity, industry, innovation, and prosperity. The elevated panels will help control dune movement, reduce water evaporation, and support the growth of drought-resistant plants and cash crops underneath.
"We plan that by 2030, 12 million mu (0.8 million hectares) of desertified land in the Kubuqi Desert will be comprehensively treated, achieving the goal of building a 'photovoltaic Great Wall' to control desertification in the desert," Zhong said.
On the northern edge of the Kubuqi Desert, a green shelterbelt that will stretch 270 kilometres, is under construction to prevent desertification toward the Yellow River, said Yang Jinyao, director of the forestry and grassland development centre of the forestry and grassland bureau of Hangjin Banner, Inner Mongolia.