'Solar Great Wall' turns Ordos desert into green energy oasis

In Ordos, Inner Mongolia, the vast Kubuqi Desert is being transformed by a "Solar Great Wall" project that combines renewable energy generation with desert control.

At the Ordos New Energy Base in Dalad Banner, millions of photovoltaic panels form a vast matrix, generating clean electricity while sheltering sand-fixing plants such as salix and caragana.

Launched in December 2022, the project has already completed two 1-gigawatt pilot phases, covering 63,000 mu (4,200 hectares) of desert with solar panels and vegetation. Using drip irrigation powered by solar pumps and recycled mine water, the initiative has created a sustainable model of "solar power + ecological restoration".

According to the plan, the Kubuqi New Energy Base will reach an installed capacity of 16 GW, including 8 GW of solar, 4 GW of wind, 200 MW of solar thermal, and 4 GW of supporting coal power. Once fully operational, it will transmit about 36 billion kilowatt-hour of clean electricity annually to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, cutting carbon emissions by 16 million metric tons.

Beyond energy, the "Solar Great Wall" spans 400 kilometers along the desert's northern edge, forming a dual ecological barrier with shelterbelts and silt dams to halt sand from advancing toward the Yellow River. By the end of 2025, desert control in the area is expected to reach 50 percent.

Local communities are also benefiting. Villagers in Juungar Banner report new farmland income, while tourism has grown around landmarks like the world's largest solar panel art installation, the "Galloping Horse".

Ordos presented its experience at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Saudi Arabia, highlighting how the project delivers both ecological protection and economic gains. Experts describe it as a model of "Chinese wisdom" in desert governance and green energy development.