The second phase of the Dalad photovoltaic power base in Dalad Banner of Ordos city in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region was recently completed, according to a report in Inner Mongolia Daily.

The Dalad solar power base is in the Kubuqi Desert, the seventh-largest desert in China.

It has a planned total scale of 2 million kilowatts, which will make it China’s largest solar power base in a desert.

The construction of the Dalad solar power base has been divided into several phases.

The first phase has a planned scale of 500,000 kWh and began construction on May 29, 2018. It was connected to the State Grid and began power generation on Dec 10, 2018.

The second phase also has a scale of 500,000 kWh. At present, the project is ready for grid-connected power generation, and power transmission is being increased.

Kubuqi Desert was chosen as the construction site for the Dalad solar power base for its excellent solar resources and to aid the local government’s anti-desertification efforts.

The area has high solar radiation intensity, long daylight hours and an average of more than 3,180 hours of sunlight annually. 

Meanwhile, the local government is taking efforts to restore the desert ecology while generating economic benefits through solar power facilities.

Li Rui, director of the development and reform commission of Dalad Banner, said that when the Dalad solar power base starts full operations, it will have an annual power generation capacity of 4 billion kWh, generating annual output worth 1.5 billion yuan ($219.68 million).

The facility will also help restore sand land covering 120,000 mu (8,000 hectares), reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.2 million metric tons per year and reduce dust emissions by 700,000 tons annually.