Heading southeast from Qamdo city in Tibet and following the winding Chamang Highway into Lhato township of Gonjo County, one can see from afar photovoltaic panels spread across the hillsides in neat rows, like a vast, glittering blue ocean. This was the remarkable sight that greeted reporters on July 12 on this snow-covered plateau at an altitude of 4,600 meters. Even more striking is that the native meadow beneath the panels has largely turned green again—this "solar-over-grassland" array has just weathered a special challenge: large-scale clean energy development in a high-altitude, ecologically fragile area.

"Building a photovoltaic power station on a plateau at 4,600 meters means not only solving power generation efficiency issues, but also overcoming two major hurdles: permafrost construction and ecological protection," said Heng Bo, Party secretary and deputy director of the Gonjo County Development and Reform Commission. Gonjo County is making every effort to build an integrated hydro-wind-solar-storage clean energy demonstration base. Currently, three photovoltaic projects are under construction, with a total installed capacity of 2.2 million kilowatts and total investment of 10.792 billion yuan; a 250,000-kilowatt wind power project is planned. "This area is expected to become one of the highest-altitude integrated hydro-wind-solar-storage bases in China," Heng Bo said.

At the Lhato photovoltaic project site, gravel-surfaced access roads wind toward the construction area, with thick square sods of turf stacked neatly along the roadside. "A major difficulty in advancing the project is meeting near-stringent ecological and environmental requirements in a harsh natural environment," said Ye Bai. To protect the fragile soil and water of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the project uses this primitive permeable, breathable paving method; after construction, all the gravel can be recovered and the land restored to its original state. The turf stripped piece by piece from the construction site is carefully numbered and maintained, then laid back in place once the project is completed.

The clean energy projects have also boosted local incomes. Tashi Palden, a worker from Lhato township, once made a living herding and earned less than 20,000 yuan a year. After the project broke ground in 2023, he was among the first to sign up for skills training organized by the Gonjo County human resources and social security department. He is now a construction team leader on the Lhato photovoltaic project, earning more than 8,000 yuan a month and over 90,000 yuan in work income last year. "My family has built a new house and bought a pickup truck. This 'solar bowl of rice' is getting more secure by the day," Tashi Palden said. According to statistics, the three photovoltaic projects have employed local farmers and herders 2,505 person-times, paid out 46.11 million yuan in labor and other fees, and paid 71.67 million yuan in land lease fees, generating total additional income of more than 117 million yuan.

Source: Science and Technology Daily