The 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17) opened in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia on August 17. During the conference, the China Pavilion held a thematic side event where Desertification Control and Land Restoration: Inspiring Solutions from Chinese Enterprises was officially released. CHN Energy Longyuan Power's photovoltaic-based desertification control practices at the Ningxia Tengger Desert-Gobi-Wasteland New Energy Base were featured in the publication, marking another appearance of the project at an international event under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
The Ningxia Tengger New Energy Base is China's first national energy base in desert areas, the Gobi, and other arid areas to receive dual national approvals. The project has innovatively developed an integrated model featuring power generation with photovoltaic panels, planting between panels and ecological restoration beneath panels, promoting the deep integration of new energy development and systematic desertification control. The project has integrated a comprehensive protection system covering sand obstruction, sand prevention, sand fixation and sand utilization, supported by water-saving technologies including rainwater collection by photovoltaic panels, water storage and root-zone drip irrigation. At the same time, straw checkerboard barriers have been installed, while drought-resistant and locally suitable plants such as caragana, Artemisia desertorum and honeysuckle have been cultivated for ecological restoration. Nearly 90,000 mu (6,000 hectares) of desertified land have been treated to date.
After sustained treatment and restoration, regional vegetation coverage has increased from less than 0.5% at the beginning of construction to an average of 28%, with some areas exceeding 50%. Mobile sand dunes have gradually been transformed into fixed and semi-fixed sandy land, while wildlife such as goitered gazelles and red foxes have been frequently spotted, indicating steady improvement and greening of the desert ecosystem.
While steadily supplying clean electricity, the base has also actively created local employment opportunities, enabling local communities to benefit from multiple gains, including increased energy output, expanded green coverage in desert areas and higher incomes. The project has now developed a mature, replicable and scalable Chinese approach to photovoltaic-based desertification control, providing a practical model for land restoration and green, low-carbon transformation in arid and desertified regions around the world.
