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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 2nd, 2024, the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) kicked off in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.
LONGi, the world's leading solar technology company, was invited to attend the side event hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) titled "Nature Positive Renewables as a Driver of Restoration" and the side event organized by Tsinghua University at the COP16 China Pavilion. Zhang Haimeng, Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer of LONGi, delivered a speech via video at the side event, sharing LONGi's innovative practices and significant achievements in desertification control with the global community.
LONGi has always regarded sustainable development as a core strategy and actively promotes the application of green energy and desertification control. Zhang Haimeng detailed LONGi's achievements in the application of green technology and the prevention of desertification. He pointed out: "The impact of desertification is profound, with an estimated 45% of the global land surface affected by desertification, impacting 3.2 billion people, or one-third of the world's population. However, using just 1% of the global desert area for photovoltaic (PV) power generation could meet the electricity needs of all humanity; if 70% of the Earth's desert areas were transformed into oases, they could absorb all the carbon emissions produced by human activities."
As one of the effective means of desertification control, photovoltaic desertification control stands out in ecological improvement and windbreak and sand fixation. In the Kubuqi Desert, LONGi implemented the construction of two photovoltaic power stations of 336kW and 338kW, actively exploring green ecological development models such as "generating electricity on the panels, planting under the panels, and breeding between the panels," and has already solved many local desertification control challenges.
Zhang Haimeng introduced: "In desert areas, photovoltaic modules absorb sunlight, provide shade and reduce water evaporation during the day, and promote condensation at night. In addition, the water used to clean the solar panels can also effectively promote the survival and growth of vegetation." By combining photovoltaic systems with vegetation, not only is the stability of the solar power generation system improved, but the microclimate of the area is also significantly improved, effectively mitigating natural disasters such as hot winds, dry winds, and sandstorms.