Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2852 Ye Mao's Ideal

At Ye Mao's insistence, the project team selected an area, planted a batch of drought-resistant plants such as Haloxylon ammodendron and sea buckthorn, and installed an intelligent drip irrigation system.

However, reality soon dealt them a heavy blow. Within a week, most of the first batch of saplings they planted withered and died due to the high temperature and lack of water.

"Director Ye, this can't go on."

Technician Xiao Zhang looked at the withered saplings, his face full of dejection. "The evaporation rate in the desert is too high. Even with solar panels providing shade, there's still not enough water."

Ye Mao squatted down, grabbed a handful of scalding sand, and fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, he remembered a new type of nanomaterial he had seen in the military reclamation city; this material had superior water retention properties.

Perhaps this material could be applied to drip irrigation systems! His eyes lit up, and he immediately contacted his brother Ye Feng, who brought over a batch of materials for testing.

This time, they improved the drip irrigation system by mixing nano-water-retaining materials into the soil and laying a water-retaining blanket around the seedlings.

A miracle occurred: the newly planted saplings not only did not wither, but instead sprouted tender green buds!
This discovery sent the entire project team into a frenzy.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Ye Mao expanded the planting area and introduced more varieties of plants.

As time went on, more and more greenery appeared under the photovoltaic panels, and some places that were originally barren suddenly became covered with vegetation.

What surprised Ye Mao even more was that the growth of the plants changed the local microclimate.

Thanks to the sand-fixing effect of vegetation, sandstorms have significantly decreased. Furthermore, the transpiration of plants increases air humidity, creating a virtuous cycle.

Even local herders have noticed that the grasslands on the edge of the desert are beginning to recover, and their sheep have more food.

"Director Ye, come quickly!"

One morning, Xiao Wang came running up, panting, "Herders have spotted wild rabbits and sand foxes in the solar power area!"

Ye Mao followed him to the scene and indeed saw several wild rabbits darting through the grass, while a sand fox vigilantly observed the surroundings in the distance.

At that moment, Ye Mao's eyes welled up with tears. He had never imagined that a project originally intended to develop new energy sources would unexpectedly bring about a miracle of ecological restoration.

He immediately reported the situation to Ye Yuji and proposed a plan to expand the scale of ecological restoration.

However, new problems arose. As the vegetation area expanded, water consumption also increased.

Despite the presence of condensate from photovoltaic panels and a smart drip irrigation system, water resources remain scarce.

Ye Mao was once again caught in a dilemma: if he continued to expand the planting scale, it might lead to the depletion of water sources; but if he stopped, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Just then, the words of a local old farmer enlightened him.

"Director Ye, our older generation relied on 'listening to the sound' to find water in the desert."

The old farmer said, "There are actually many underground rivers beneath the desert, but we just can't find their exact locations."

Ye Mao immediately contacted a geological exploration team, and using advanced geophysical exploration technology, they discovered an underground river beneath the photovoltaic area!
This discovery thrilled everyone. They immediately built small water storage facilities to bring the water from the underground river to the surface for irrigating the plants.

With a stable water source, ecological restoration work has entered a fast track.

Ye Mao began to try planting some cash crops, such as Cistanche deserticola and wolfberry.

These plants not only prevent wind erosion and stabilize sand dunes, but also bring economic benefits.

Local herders have also actively participated, raising poultry under the photovoltaic panels, forming a diversified development model of "photovoltaics + agriculture + animal husbandry".

With the improvement of the ecological environment, more and more people are beginning to pay attention to this "green miracle" in the desert.

Domestic and international media have widely reported that the photovoltaic ecological project in the Taklamakan Desert has become a model for combining new energy development with ecological protection in China.

What makes Ye Mao even more gratified is that this project has boosted the local economy.

Herders have seen a significant increase in income through planting cash crops and raising livestock. Many young people who had left to work elsewhere have also returned to their hometowns to participate in the project.

On the once desolate edge of the desert, a brand-new village has been built, complete with schools, hospitals and other infrastructure.

"Director Ye, look!" one day, Xiao Wang excitedly pointed to the distant hills and said, "Those sand dunes over there have all been stabilized!"

Ye Mao looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the sand dunes that had once drifted with the wind were now covered with a layer of green vegetation, as if the desert had been draped in a green coat.

At this moment, Ye Mao deeply realized that new energy is not only the key to solving energy problems, but also the key to opening the door to ecological protection.

His experience in the Taklamakan Desert showed him the enormous potential of combining new energy sources with ecological restoration.

Following the success of the Taklamakan project, Ye Mao began to promote this "photovoltaic + ecology" model to other desert regions.

He knew that China still had vast deserts and Gobi waiting to be developed, and that the combination of new energy sources and ecological restoration would bring new hope to these regions.

Thanks to the efforts of Ye Mao and countless other builders, photovoltaic panels have been laid out across the desert, and saplings have grown strong beneath them.

The once barren desert is being transformed into a green energy base and an ecological home. This is not only a victory for the development of new energy sources, but also a vivid example of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.

Standing at the photovoltaic base under the setting sun, looking at the green in the distance and the golden sand dunes on the horizon, Ye Mao felt a surge of pride and anticipation.

He knows that there is still a long way to go in the fields of new energy and ecological protection, but as long as we persist in innovation and practice, we will surely create more miracles and leave a green and beautiful landscape for future generations.

The photovoltaic oasis in the Taklamakan Desert is like a boulder thrown into a lake, and the ripples it creates quickly spread throughout the country.

Ye Mao's office phone was ringing off the hook. Governments and enterprises from all over the country came one after another with their intention to cooperate. Even international environmental organizations sent invitations, hoping to learn from China's experience in combining desertification control with new energy.

However, behind the halo of success, new challenges follow closely.

When Ye Mao replicated the "photovoltaic + ecology" model in the Kubuqi Desert, he encountered unprecedented technical bottlenecks.

The groundwater level in this desert is extremely unstable, and the underground rivers have complex and unpredictable course, making it difficult for traditional exploration techniques to accurately locate water sources.

Even more problematic is that the sandstorms in Kubuqi are corrosive, causing the coating of newly installed photovoltaic panels to peel off within a month, resulting in a sharp drop in power generation efficiency of 15%.

"We must develop new types of corrosion-resistant photovoltaic materials!" Ye Mao made the decision at the emergency meeting.

He contacted his brother Ye Feng overnight and mobilized the top research team of Warrior New Energy to be stationed in Kubuqi.

Scientists worked day and night in the wind-swept experimental field, adjusting the formula hundreds of times, and finally developed a nanoscale composite coating that not only resists wind and sand erosion but also automatically cleans surface dust. Just as the technical challenges were being overcome, another crisis quietly descended.

A long-established local coal company suddenly launched an attack, submitting a report to relevant departments claiming that large-scale photovoltaic projects would alter the desert landscape, damage the geological structure, and could even trigger regional climate anomalies.

This report caused a huge uproar in society, with some experts and scholars joining the ranks of those questioning it and demanding that the project be stopped immediately.

Despite immense pressure, Ye Mao organized a high-level hearing.

He invited geologists, meteorologists, and ecologists to form an independent evaluation team to conduct comprehensive monitoring and analysis of the project.

Three months later, the assessment report was released: the vegetation under the photovoltaic panels effectively reduced surface wind speed and decreased the frequency of sandstorms.

Stable vegetation cover actually enhanced the stability of the desert's geological structure. With irrefutable evidence, the doubts gradually subsided.

But Ye Mao knew that technological breakthroughs and scientific demonstrations alone were far from enough.

He decided to promote the "joint construction by all people" model in Kubuqi, establish a desert ecological cooperative, and invite local herders to invest their land and labor.

The cooperative not only handles the daily maintenance of the photovoltaic panels, but also develops desert-themed tourism.

Visitors can ride in solar-powered sightseeing vehicles through the photovoltaic matrix, experience the joy of planting saxaul trees, and taste organic fruits and vegetables grown in the desert greenhouse.

This innovative model quickly demonstrated its remarkable vitality.

A herdsman named Alatan, who originally earned less than 5 yuan a year from herding, saw his annual income soar to 30 yuan after joining the cooperative and managing photovoltaic panels and running a homestay.

He tells everyone he meets, "I used to think the desert was a place that devoured people, but now I know that 'gold nuggets' can grow there too!"

The success of the Kubuqi project inspired Ye Mao to have an even bolder idea—to build a "desert new energy corridor".

He plans to connect eight major deserts, including the Tengger and Badain Jaran deserts, to create a giant clean energy base covering five northwestern provinces.

This idea immediately gained attention at the national level and was incorporated into the "14th Five-Year Plan" for energy development.

However, such a massive project faces unprecedented financial pressure.

Ye Mao thought of his brother investment bank again. He flew to the United States with his carefully prepared project proposal.

In a Wall Street roadshow venue, facing top global investment institutions, he used detailed data and stunning visuals to depict the enormous potential of new energy sources in the desert:
"This place not only has inexhaustible sunshine and wind energy, but also holds limitless potential to change the ecology and benefit humankind!"

This speech moved countless investors. Brother Investment Bank spearheaded the establishment of a special fund of 500 billion yuan, and international financial institutions also invested heavily.

With strong financial support, the "Desert New Energy Corridor" project officially broke ground.

During the construction process, Ye Mao encountered new problems.

Electricity transmission costs are high in desert regions, and traditional power grids struggle to cover remote areas.

He boldly proposed a solution of "hydrogen energy storage + drone delivery".

Hydrogen is produced by electrolyzing water using photovoltaic power generation, and the hydrogen is then compressed and stored.

Then, the hydrogen fuel cells are delivered to various power-consuming terminals via a drone network.

This innovative solution not only solved the problem of power transmission, but also gave rise to a completely new industrial ecosystem.

As photovoltaic panels are laid out across the desert, ecological oases rise from the ground, and the miracles continue.

Researchers were pleasantly surprised to find that the number of insect species in the photovoltaic area increased from the initial 3 to 27, and rare animals such as wild camels and goitered gazelles, which had disappeared for many years, also returned to their home.

Even more encouraging is that, through satellite remote sensing monitoring, the green vegetation coverage rate in the northwestern desert region has increased by 8 percentage points in three years, equivalent to adding an oasis the size of Hainan Island.

On the wall of Ye Mao's office hangs a special map. On the map, blue markers representing photovoltaic projects and green markers representing ecological restoration intertwine, outlining a magnificent development blueprint.

Whenever someone asks him about his ideals, he always points to the map and says, "My goal is to transform this once barren land into a truly green home where humans and nature coexist harmoniously."

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ye Mao and countless other builders, China's deserts are undergoing an unprecedented transformation.

From simple energy development to the organic integration of ecological restoration and economic development, this challenging and innovative path has not only provided a new paradigm for domestic energy transformation and ecological protection, but also contributed Chinese wisdom to global sustainable development.

Ye Mao's efforts finally paid off, and given his enormous contributions, he was given a meteoric rise in his career.

He became Ye Yuji's deputy, specifically responsible for the development and application of new energy projects in China.

Such a young senior cadre was something I hadn't seen since the early days of the People's Republic of China, but Ye Mao achieved it through his own abilities.

After being promoted, Ye Mao didn't bother to familiarize himself with his new position and plunged headlong into the desert again.

He was young and in good physical condition. He was determined to completely transform the barren lands within China, and he would start this plan from the northern frontier.

Because of the 960 million square kilometers of land in China, the northern border accounts for 160 million square kilometers. If the northern border is transformed, it would be equivalent to adding countless fertile fields and pastures to China out of thin air.

Of course, he knew it would be difficult and he didn't know how much he would have to pay.

But so what? His grandfather and father, two generations, have already brought about earth-shattering changes to the northern frontier. As a third-generation military reclamation worker, he must use the methods of his generation to transform this beautiful land!

After his report was submitted, it was carefully reviewed and ultimately approved by the higher authorities.

Furthermore, to facilitate his work, he was given a deputy position in the northern Xinjiang province.

Of course, this position carries real power and is not just for gaining seniority; it mainly involves overseeing agricultural and livestock production.

However, he wasn't removed from his position at the National Development and Reform Commission; this was a way for the higher-ups to fully utilize his abilities, effectively giving him a powerful tool.

As she was leaving, Ye Yuji looked at her nephew with deep emotion and was extremely moved.

I never imagined that the little guy who was the most disappointing when he was a child would grow up so much.

She hugged Ye Mao: "Work hard, I'll be waiting for you to come back!"

Ye Mao nodded vigorously: "Don't worry, Auntie, when I come back, the entire Northern Frontier will undergo another earth-shattering change!"

Ye Yuji smiled. This is what military reclamation workers are like. No matter how many generations pass, they will never forget their duty to protect and build this country.

Thank you all for the votes, and thank you to the bookworm!