stop desertification in China
China has found an ingenious way to give a second life to the giants who once dominated their energy landscape. The pales of the wind turbines, who begin to retire after 20 or 25 years of service, are becoming more than a difficult product to recycle: they now serve to stop an enemy that advances silently, desertification. A barrier against the sand. Researchers at Research Station of Gobi Desert Ecology and Environment, Under the Chinese Academy of SciencesThey have found a way to transform the old blades of wind turbines into porous barriers against the sand. It is a solution that takes advantage of the geographical coincidence: many of the wind farms of western China are installed in arid or semi -desert regions, just where the control of the desert progress is most lacking. A quite simple process. The turbines are cut, pierce and process until they are made into porous structures. The wind can cross them, but in a controlled way: enough to catch the sand and alter its flow. In laboratory tests They showed that these barriers They are 14 times more resistant than composite wooden boards and that support ultraviolet radiation, extreme heat and constant abrasion of the sand. After that, the experiments in wind tunnels and computer simulations They confirmed that they reduce Significantly the transport of sand at ground level. Unlike traditional methods – like straw or cane barriers, which decompose quickly – new structures are designed to resist for years in extreme conditions. A double benefit. The value of this innovation goes far beyond engineering. The new barriers offer entire communities a more stable protection in front of sand storms that destroy oasis and crops. The clearest example is Dunhuang, in the province of Gansu, which located on the edge of the Kumtag desert, just 4.5% of its surface is covered by Oasis, and its famous cultural treasures – like Mogao’s caves— They have been threatened by the sand for decades. For its part, the project responds to a more urgent need: the massive recycling of wind blades. According to China Dailyduring the 14th five-year plan (2021-2025) is expected to withdraw more than 1.2 million kilowatts of wind capacity and in the following plan (2026-2030), the figure could reach 10 million kW per year. This volume of waste poses an environmental problem, but also an opportunity to transform them into useful resources there where they occur. Looking for solutions before the residue. The challenge now is to climb the technology. Field trials They continue to adapt it To different climates and deserts, and the potential is enormous: convert an awkward residue into a key environmental management tool. China, that already leads the world renewable capacityshows with projects like this how its strategy goes beyond installing panels and mills: it is about closing the circle, taking advantage of waste and, incidentally, protecting fragile territories against desertification. The energy transition not only produces electricity: it can also rewrite the landscape. Image | Pexels Xataka | He was deported to China after co -founding NASA’s JPL. Now China has made one of his ideas come true: flying wind turbines
