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New solar energy project turns desert into 'sea of blue'

   People's Daily Online   08:45, July 04, 2025
New solar energy project turns desert into 'sea of blue'
Aerial photo shows the Tengger Desert new energy base in Zhongwei, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Liang Hongxin)

From a sand dune in Zhongwei, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, neat rows of photovoltaic panels stretch across the Tengger Desert, transforming the golden sands into a vast indigo sea of steady green energy production.

The Tengger Desert new energy base is the first to be approved, launched, and put into operation among the 10 million kW-level projects in desert and Gobi areas in China. It also serves as a key supporting project for China's first ultra-high-voltage transmission line dedicated to delivering renewable energy from desert solar bases. Phase I is already connected to the grid, while Phase II is under construction.