Solar park helps turn large wasteland green

A large semi-desert, covering hundreds of square kilometers in Northwest China's Qinghai province, has turned green thanks to a photovoltaic park.

The semi-desert, located in Gonghe county of the Hainan Tibetan autonomous prefecture, sits at an altitude of 2,920 meters and attracted one of the largest photovoltaic power generation parks in the country in 2012 because of its strong light radiation and long periods of sunshine.

The photovoltaic park covers 609 square km, nearly the size of Singapore, and can produce more than 19 million kilowatts.

A vast expanse of solar panels in the park shadows the surface of the semi-desert, which helps lower wind speed and reduce evaporation, thereby increasing vegetation coverage.

Considering fire hazards due to the overgrowth of grass, especially in winter, the park has started employing local herdsmen to pasture thousands of sheep.

The park also offers local residents more than 1,000 jobs including herding, reaping pastures and cleaning solar panels.