Green promoter

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is helping the Belt and Road countries in the transition to green and renewable energy

As a major base for clean energy, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, endowed with abundant solar and wind resources, bears a dual mission in both China's domestic energy optimization and international energy cooperation. It plays a pivotal role in China's west-to-east power transmission program, and it is also helping the Belt and Road countries accelerate their renewable energy development through technology transfer and engineering cooperation, promoting energy structure transformation and jointly addressing climate change in these countries.

Meanwhile, the scaled-up and integrated development of Xinjiang's photovoltaic bases is not only driving China's green transition but also exerting a profound impact on global energy governance and ecological improvement.

Many Belt and Road countries, with a low proportion of clean energy in their energy mix, still heavily rely on fossil fuels, and therefore face immense pressure on the transition toward clean energy systems, which requires breaking bottlenecks such as insufficient funding, technology and construction experience.

Against this backdrop, Xinjiang's rich experience and advantages in the clean energy sector offer viable solutions for the Belt and Road countries to develop renewable energy and optimize their energy structures.

Xinjiang has developed significant strengths in PV module manufacturing, inverter design, energy storage systems and grid integration management. These technologies can be transferred to the Belt and Road countries in Central Asia, Western Asia and beyond, tailored to their specific climatic conditions and electricity demand.

The models, such as engineering, procurement, and construction contracting, and project cooperation are the primary methods through which Xinjiang can expand its overseas engagements.

Leveraging its extensive experience in building large-scale power stations in China, Xinjiang-based enterprises can deliver comprehensive solutions, including design, construction and grid connection, to countries in Central and Western Asia and beyond, accelerating the implementation of clean energy projects. Behind engineering cooperation lies the transfer of knowledge and training of local talent. By participating in construction, operation and maintenance, local stakeholders can not only enhance their capacity to absorb clean energy, but also strengthen their ability to develop independently.

Moreover, financial cooperation is equally indispensable. Leveraging investment instruments of the Silk Road Fund, policy loans and multilateral financial institutions, Xinjiang enterprises can engage in joint investment and risk-sharing with governments or companies in the Belt and Road countries, significantly lowering the financial barriers to clean energy projects.

Such a full-chain cooperation model, encompassing technology transfer, engineering collaboration, talent development and financial support, has not only turned Xinjiang into a major domestic energy hub, but can also help make Xinjiang an emerging demonstration zone and strategic gateway for the Belt and Road clean energy collaboration. Its experience offers solutions to the practical challenges of the energy transition for the Belt and Road countries and injects fresh momentum into regional green development. For instance, China Huadian Corporation sent 20 experts to Kazakhstan in February to help train young local technicians to improve their professional skills, and it is also helping train local energy students.

On the domestic front, Xinjiang's PV bases exhibit clear competitive advantages in centralized operation and large-scale deployment. In recent years, a number of gigawatt-scale solar power stations have been successively built in Xinjiang, significantly reducing per-unit power generation costs while driving the clustering and integrated development of upstream and downstream industries.

According to official data, by the end of July, Xinjiang's installed capacity of new energy reached 134 million kilowatts, accounting for 60 percent of its total power capacity. Among the new energy mix, Xinjiang ranked fourth in the country in terms of PV installed capacity, cementing its role as one of the most vital green power export hubs in China's northwestern region.

From equipment manufacturing to operation and maintenance services, Xinjiang's PV industry has gradually developed a comprehensive industrial ecosystem, encompassing module production, system integration, power station construction and intelligent operation and maintenance. Such economy of scale not only provides a solid foundation for nationwide energy optimization, but also creates broader real-world testing grounds for the continuous advancement and deployment of new energy technologies.

Through ultra-high-voltage transmission corridors, Xinjiang's green electricity is transmitted over thousands of kilometers to power-hungry industrial centers in eastern China, achieving the goal of "energy developed in the west, electricity shared across the nation". Such a model plays a strategic role in enhancing national energy security and optimizing the country's energy structure.

Notably, Xinjiang's PV bases are not merely stand-alone power generation projects, but integrated platforms deeply fused with multiple advanced technologies. The integration of energy storage systems effectively mitigates the intermittency and volatility inherent in solar power generation, resulting in more stable electricity supply, enhanced grid regulation capabilities and significantly improved renewable energy absorption capacity.

The integration with smart agriculture has also given rise to an innovative model. In the Gobi Desert, crops are cultivated under solar PV panels, which provide stable power for intelligent irrigation systems. This is a dual-use approach that not only boosts clean electricity supply but also enhances agricultural productivity and water-use efficiency.

More importantly, the shading effect of the solar PV panels reduces surface evaporation and wind erosion, improving soil moisture conditions and promoting vegetation recovery, thereby mitigating desertification. This "PV+desert control" model has already achieved notable results in pilot zones across Xinjiang, offering replicable, scalable experience for arid regions worldwide.

From a global perspective, Xinjiang's development is not only essential for regional energy structure optimization but also generates positive spillover effects for international carbon dioxide emissions reduction and ecological restoration.

Xinjiang's PV bases reduce CO2 emissions by millions of tons annually, making tangible contributions to global carbon neutrality goals and offering a replicable model for addressing energy and ecological challenges in arid regions such as Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Through such models as "PV+ desert control" and "PV+smart agriculture", Xinjiang has pioneered a path that combines energy development with ecological restoration, demonstrating the vast potential of clean energy to improve the environment and enhance land-use efficiency.

At the same time, Xinjiang's capacity exports in PV equipment manufacturing, intelligent operation and maintenance, and engineering construction have significantly improved the efficiency and reliability of international renewable energy projects, strengthened the security and resilience of the global clean energy supply chain, and provided critical support for international green cooperation.

As the Belt and Road cooperation deepens, Xinjiang is well positioned to further strengthen collaboration with the Belt and Road countries and promote regional synergistic development of the green energy industry chain.

In this process, greater emphasis must be placed on sustainability and localization to enhance the adaptability of the Belt and Road countries to Xinjiang's technologies and engineering models, while strengthening environmental protection and community engagement to ensure that cooperative outcomes truly benefit local societies and economies.

As international cooperation continues to deepen, Xinjiang is poised to play an increasingly prominent role in global green energy development and ecological governance, thus becoming a key showcase displaying China's responsibility and commitment to addressing climate change.

The author is a chair professor at the School of Management and the director of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.