Desert becomes fertile farmland! How can photovoltaic flexible brackets “turn waste into gold”?

"Shagohuang" is a general term for deserts, Gobi and wasteland. Data shows that China's desertified land area is 2.61 million square kilometers, accounting for 27% of the total land area. It is distributed in the northwest, north China and northeast regions in an arc-shaped belt, mainly in the six provinces of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia and Shaanxi. In the context of global energy transformation, the Shagohuang region has become a frontier for the application of photovoltaic flexible technology due to its unique geographical environment and resource endowment.

The flexible photovoltaic support system is a large-span multi-span structure. The structure uses prestressed steel strands between the two fixed points. The two fixed points use rigid structures and outer inclined steel strands to provide support and reaction force to support the photovoltaic panels. At present, Guangxiang flexible photovoltaic support can achieve a large span of 35-50m on flat ground. For special situations, it can achieve a span of more than 60m and a height of more than 9m.

Laying solar panels in desert areas can directly utilize the abundant solar energy resources in desert areas for power generation, while improving the surface environment through its shading effect. On the one hand, photovoltaic panels can block some direct sunlight, lower the ground temperature, reduce the evaporation of water in the soil and air, and create favorable conditions for plant growth; on the other hand, photovoltaic panels can also effectively reduce wind speed, protect the soil and new plants from wind erosion, and greatly improve the surface environment of the desert.

The flexible bracket photovoltaic project improves the microenvironment through photovoltaic sand control, biological sand control, and engineering sand control. Then, vegetation suitable for growing under photovoltaic panels and in the space between panels, such as pasture and shrubs, can further fix sand and prevent wind erosion and desertification, while increasing soil organic matter and improving soil structure. Combined with water-saving irrigation technology, providing vegetation with necessary water can not only improve the survival rate of vegetation, but also promote the growth and reproduction of vegetation, accelerate the ecological recovery of desert areas, turn deserts into oases, and make the growth environment of crops from impossible to possible.