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Comment by soneca | Hacker News Reader

> ”The initiative combines solar-powered sand-blocking technology with extensive vegetation planting to stabilize the desert’s edges.”

What sand-blocking tech is that? Does anyone know?

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I'm not sure if it applies here but I read an article about similar efforts in Africa and their technique was shaping the sand into little hills and then adding the vegetation to retain the little hill which reduced the flow of sand shifting due to wind.

They might be referring to dependence on solar-powered water pumps to irrigate the green belt, or the use of a field of solar panels with vegetation underneath to break up wind-driven sand migration. Another source discusses the construction of meter-high earthen walls, though its unclear how widely that was done. They're planning on building more solar and wind there, and China's UHV (ultra-high-voltage) grid will allow that power to be shipped east to where demand is highest:

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/chinas-largest-des...

> "Further energy development is underway in the Taklamakan Desert. The China Three Gorges Corporation plans to build a massive energy project featuring 8.5 gigawatts of solar power and 4 gigawatts of wind energy, expected to be completed in four years."

I think they put solar panels up and plant some bushes under the shade

And solar powers water pump (or condenser)?

Perhaps giant solar powered bulldozers? The article is a joke when it comes to details and citations. It reads like a press release.

Plants

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