You promised to build cars, so why did you go into the military industry?

Gao Jingming was somewhat surprised and incredulous when he heard that industrial water was free.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that this kind of sewage treatment plant is a typical power-consuming plant.

Electricity costs typically account for 50%-70% of total operating costs.

Could this sewage treatment plant be exchanging water for electricity?

He voiced his guess, but Wang Lijian shook his head and denied it.

"It's free. This poor place has been desolate for hundreds of years. Now that there is an opportunity to get rich and change our fate, everyone is working together and no one is trying to be clever."

"Then, how will this electricity be transmitted?"

"It's the West-to-East Power Transmission Project," Professor Wang Lijian said, gesturing vaguely into the distance. "The ±500kV ultra-high voltage line directly connects to the main power artery of the West-to-East Power Transmission Project in Longxi, and then supplies electricity to the Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan region."

Inside a makeshift prefabricated house, a middle-aged man with dark skin and a white hard hat is engrossed in a concept drawing.

As soon as Gao Jingming led his teammates inside, they almost couldn't breathe from the suffocation.

After Gao Jingming had settled in, Wang Lijian introduced him to everyone:

"The site manager is Liu Xijun, Director Liu."

Wang Lijian then pointed at Gao Jingming:

"United Industrial Team, this is Gao Jingming, Supervisor Gao."

Liu Xijun strode forward and shook hands; his palm was rough and strong.

"You must be tired from your journey! Conditions here are tough, so please don't hesitate to tell me if you have any difficulties, Manager Gao."

"It's alright, it's alright."

Gao Jingming felt somewhat uncomfortable with Liu Xijun's hospitality.

"Director Liu retired from the military and transferred here," Wang Lijian explained, noticing Gao Jingming's discomfort. "Having worked here for over 10 years, Director Liu considers this place his second home. He's traversed every inch of this Gobi Desert; the locals call him 'Iron Feet'!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Jingming was filled with respect and gripped the hand even tighter.

Afterwards, Liu Xijun shook hands with each of Gao Jingming's team members.

After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Xijun brought over a standing fan:

"Although it's evening now, it's still very hot and humid, and air conditioning alone is useless."

I've gotten used to it after being here for a while. If you guys get some fresh air, the air circulation will help relieve the stuffiness a lot.

Then, Liu Xijun pointed to the concept diagram hanging on the wall:

"Currently, the site leveling and main roadbed paving of our first phase of the 6-mu demonstration area have been completed."

The current challenge is the excavation and laying of underground cable trenches and water supply and drainage systems.

Everyone was astonished by the progress of the project, and Gao Jingming found it somewhat unbelievable:

"We just won the bid, and it's still in the public announcement period..."

"Actually, we started construction gradually in early April." Liu Xijun sighed, his tone heavy. "This place has been poor for too long. This kind of opportunity to change our fate may only come once every 30 to 50 years. If we don't seize it, this place will remain poor for two more generations. Then we will be sinners."

After hearing these words, the United Industries team members finally understood where Liu Xijun's extraordinary enthusiasm came from.

A heavy pressure descended, and everyone listened in silence as Liu Xijun briefed them on the current progress of the construction site…

In the Gobi Desert, temperatures in some areas can drop to -40°C in winter, while surface temperatures can soar to 70°C in summer.

Such a large temperature change poses a more stringent challenge to the thermal management of batteries.

To cope with this challenge, even Gao Jingming, a veteran of countless battles, had no choice but to seek help from Su Qing remotely.

Fortunately, their own products are of high quality, and with Su Qing's assistance, the battery management system successfully passed the test.

Time flies, and two months later...

The solar photovoltaic power generation array has been laid on more than 10,000 mu (approximately 667 hectares), and the battery management system of the lithium iron phosphate battery energy storage station has also been deployed.

The project progress meets or even slightly exceeds the project milestones.

At the same time, an unexpected change occurred.

After the solar photovoltaic panels are installed, in order to ensure power generation efficiency, recycled water is used every day to clean and maintain the surface of the photovoltaic modules in this Gobi Desert with its endless yellow sand.

Directly beneath the solar photovoltaic panels, the ground temperature drops by 3-5°C due to the shading effect of the equipment, and water evaporation is reduced by more than 30%, effectively alleviating the problem of thermal imbalance in the Gobi Desert.

The slab guides reclaimed water to an area 80 cm below the slab, increasing soil moisture content by about 30%-60% and nearly doubling the survival rate of salt-tolerant plants!

Tens of thousands of piles have been used to stabilize the sand, covering an area of ​​over 1.7 square meters, providing a space for plant roots to attach.

And so, a miracle of life occurred.

A patch of vibrant green, representing burgeoning life, appeared silently in the once desolate Gobi Desert.

Gazing at the green expanse beneath the solar photovoltaic panels, Liu Xijun felt a bittersweet mix of pain and joy.

"Director Liu, the grass is growing too fast, which is greatly affecting the power generation efficiency of the photovoltaic equipment." Wang Lijian said with some helplessness, "By the end of autumn, when the vegetation dries up, the fire prevention pressure on the photovoltaic power station will be very high."

Professor Wang Lijian, who is dedicated to combating desertification, actually dislikes the vegetation in the desert—a scene that probably no one expected.

Liu Xijun stood with his hands on his hips, not having any good ideas for the time being. He could only arrange a shift and have people cut the grass by hand in batches.

The presence of plants brings a touch of coolness to the sweltering weather. Every morning, people lie on the grass, experiencing a sensation different from the surrounding yellow sand.

A week later, an elderly local farmer found the construction site and asked for help.

It turned out that his lambs had gotten lost while grazing, and he had come looking for them by following the tracks.

When Liu Xijun caught the skinny little lamb, it was happily munching on the wild grass under the solar photovoltaic panels.

After seeing the old farmer off, Liu Xijun called Wang Lijian over:

"What do you think about us grazing our livestock on this land?"

"Grazing?" Wang Lijian was a little puzzled, but then he thought about it and it seemed feasible.

Theoretically, with 6 mu of land, feeding one adult sheep on 5.5 mu of land, more than 10000 sheep can be raised.

However, considering the actual situation, the land is still in a poor state. Even with a 75% discount, raising 2500 sheep should not be a problem.

However, adding some feed is not difficult, and then the number of sheep can be increased.

"It's feasible. We can artificially cultivate high-quality pasture and supplement with crop straw. We can definitely afford to raise 5000 sheep," Wang Lijian affirmed Liu Xijun's idea. "However, sheep are the best choice. Goats will dig up grass roots, and improper handling can cause serious damage to vegetation."

Liu Xijun was very excited to receive the experts' approval and subsequently reported it to his superiors.

Soon after, he received official approval: "Approval is granted to carry out the 'Light and Sheep Complementarity' project to help the people."

In September, the photovoltaic ranch was officially opened to nearby farmers free of charge.

Life and hope began to flourish in the Gobi Desert.

With the arrival of November, the Gobi Desert is plunged into a cold winter, and the severe cold prevents the concrete from setting properly, forcing construction to be suspended.

After a brief farewell, Gao Jingming led his team back to Gaolu Town.

Without taking a break, Gao Jingming returned to United Industries and plunged into the laboratory.

Based on nearly six months of practical work experience, he has some new ideas about solar photovoltaic panels that are more in line with reality.

Half a month later, thanks to everyone's efforts, the production process was greatly optimized, the manufacturing cost of solar photovoltaic panels was reduced by a full 1300 yuan, and the output was also greatly increased.

After optimization, the modular solar photovoltaic panels are easier to install and maintain.

The problem is the shortage of transportation capacity. Otherwise, the materials for the first phase of the Xiangyun project, covering 6 mu, could have been produced and delivered by April next year.

Installation will be even faster; we might be able to start joint debugging and testing before National Day next year.

"Logistics... insufficient transport capacity... timeliness..." After reading Gao Jingming's report, Li Ran stroked his chin thoughtfully, "How about... building airplanes?"