Photovoltaic park in NW China's Qinghai highlights harmony between man and nature

The photovoltaic (PV) industrial park in Talatan, situated in Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China's Qinghai Province, covers a planned area exceeding 600 square kilometers, making it the largest in the world by installed capacity.

In recent years, the prefecture has promoted a "PV + grass planting + sheep grazing" model, finding a way to both combat desertification and improve local livelihoods. The model consists of generating electricity on the panels, planting grass between them, and grazing sheep underneath.

By the end of 2024, 68 photovoltaic companies had settled in the park, bringing total grid-connected capacity to 17.73 million kilowatts. The park's innovative model has lowered costs for PV enterprises, restored vegetation coverage to 80 percent on the once-barren desert land, and simultaneously increased incomes for local herders.