Every night, many people in Lhasa like to walk in the Potala Palace Square and Zongkang Lukang Park. Many people do not know that it is not the traditional “lights†that illuminate their roads, but the new “solar street lightsâ€.
The application of this kind of "solar street lamp" is one of the "bright spots" in Tibet in recent years to vigorously promote the development and utilization of solar energy technology. In recent years, Tibet has attached great importance to the development and utilization of solar energy and put forward the “Golden Sun Technology Project†plan, which regards the development and utilization of solar energy as an important breakthrough for solving the region’s energy problems and improving the production and living conditions of farmers and herdsmen. According to estimates, last year Tibet passed a total of 162,800 tons of standard coal, equivalent to 100 million yuan, through the use of solar photovoltaics and the use of solar thermal energy.
In the 1980s, the solar cooker was the first solar technology product to appear in Tibet. As the first solar energy product, the solar cooker sparked a collision between technology and tradition in the ancient snow-covered plateau. At that time, the masses used the sun as a “god†to adore and worship. It was believed that the use of a solar cooker was a way for the “god†to boil water and cook. It was a great disrespect to the “sun godâ€. After years of unremittingly popularized scientific propaganda and promotion by science and technology workers, the solar cooker has finally been recognized and loved by the broad masses of farmers and herdsmen, and it has “rooted and blossomed†in the snow-covered plateau. Up to now, Tibet has promoted more than 300,000 solar cookers. According to statistics, solar cookers can save 500 to 700 kilograms of fireweed per year each year. Energy conservation and social benefits are very obvious.
Solar water heaters have also been applied and promoted in Tibet. Solar water heater is one of the main contents of the development of solar thermal energy utilization industry. After nearly 20 years of research and development, solar water heaters have successfully solved the problems of antifreeze, explosive tube blasting, aging and water leakage. Their technology has matured and become a new energy source for Tibet. One of the most promising products in the renewable energy industry.
The use of solar collectors in the heating of domestic water is relatively popular in Tibet, and the energy saving effect is significant, but there are still few applications for heating in winter. Since 2004, the Autonomous Region Science and Technology Department has established several sets of solar collector heating systems in some units. After testing, the office of the Political Consultative Conference in Nagqu Prefecture where the solar collector heating system was installed has an indoor heating temperature of 18 degrees Celsius or above and has a significant heating effect.
The Autonomous Region Science and Technology Department also uses the advantages of strong solar radiation and rich solar energy resources on the plateau, organically combining “solar heat utilization technology†and “biomass energy technology†to create biogas technology of the West Coast. The biogas digester is built in a greenhouse, and the sun shines in to store heat and generate biogas. It is estimated that a 10-m3 solar digester can produce 385 cubic meters of biogas per year, equivalent to 275 kilograms of standard coal.
The development and utilization of solar energy in Tibet is also reflected in the application of solar photovoltaic power generation. Since the early 1990s, the state has successively implemented several photovoltaic power generation projects with a high degree of influence in the entire region, such as the National Power Corporation’s "Water-free Energy-free County Electricity Construction Plan" and the SARFT's "Village Village Broadcasting" TV projects, National Development and Reform Commission's "transmitting electricity to rural areas" project have achieved good results.
At present, Tibet is one of the regions with the largest concentration of solar photovoltaic power stations in China. The total capacity of all types of photovoltaic power generation facilities has exceeded 9 megawatts.