In previous years, the sand storm and desertification were so severe in Ngari Prefecture of Tibet due to unrestricted logging for heating and cooking. But now it is totally a different story. Ecological recovery has been undertaken in Ngari Prefecture, where solar energy and other clean energy are used, and energy-saving buildings can be seen everywhere.

Dawa Zhaxi, Commissioner of the Ngari Prefecture said that most of the buildings in Shiquanhe Town of Ngari Prefecture are constructed  facing  south so as to absorb solar energy and save heat as much as possible. Therefore, locals need no coal heaters in winter when they can sit down in a warm and cozy house.

After entering the building of the Bureau of Radio and Television of Ngari Prefecture, the secret behind these energy saving buildings were disclosed. It turned out that the southern wall of the building have all been installed with French-style glass, with a layer of black metallic endothermal material attached. A journalist working in the building told us that at eleven o'clock every morning in winter, direct sunlight will go through the glass and the warmth absorbed by the metallic endothermal material can make the room as warm as in spring.

Dawa Zhaxi added that solar energy is abundant in Ngari Prefecre as it is located on the highest area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Currently, over 95 percent of the buildings of government organs, enterprises, institutions, schools and some residential buildings have started to use solar energy for heating instead of burning coal.

Nowadays, the energy structure of residential houses has changed greatly from the traditional dominating firewood, animal manure and coal to  clean energy. 
"We used to cut woods to make a living, but now we plant trees and grass to make a better living."Since 1989, the Ngari Prefecture government has taken its sand control strategy in the Shiquanhe Basin. Altogether 20,000 acres of shrubberies and cultivated pastureland have been planted around the Shiquanhe Township, where it was gone with its history of dust storms. The local people of the Ngari Prefecture have now stepped onto the path of exploring and using sustainable energy.