Before 1950, the Taklamakan Desert was an arid, water-scarce land. Each year, the first generation of villagers planted trees, creating windbreaks in hopes of protecting their homes from relentless sandstorms. However, year after year, sandstorms continued to ravage the area. Now, after half a century of perseverance through three generations, a new oasis city has risen along the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, spanning over 6,900 square kilometers. By 2023, Alar City’s forested land reached 2.22 million mu, covering 22% of its total area, with a forest area of 2.2982 million mu and a forest coverage rate of 19.3%.
A Major Breakthough Happened
In 2023, the introduction of the Sunshine Alar Photovoltaic Power Station marked a major breakthrough in the desert ecological restoration project. This innovative approach, combining “power generation on the panels, planting between the panels, and restoration beneath the panels,” has brought the concept of "Forest and Grass Photovoltaic" to life. Beneath the solar panels, grass has begun to grow—a stark contrast to the barren desert landscape that once covered this area when the station was first built.
