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Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (6): 1665-1675.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.06.15

• Earth Surface Process • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Spatial and temporal distribution characteristic and division research of solar energy resources in southern Xinjiang

GU Wei1,2(),Guli JIAPAER1,3,4(),YIN Hanmin1,4,JIANG Liangliang1,4,ZANG Xiaofang1,5   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    2. Agricultural Resources Regionalization and Remote Sensing Application Center of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi 830002, Xinjiang, China
    3. Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    4. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100049, China
    5. Xinjiang Academy of Environmental Protection Sciences, Urumqi 830000, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2020-08-28 Revised:2021-06-18 Online:2021-11-25 Published:2021-12-03
  • Contact: JIAPAER Guli E-mail:1758715191@qq.com;glmr@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Abstract:

With 2300-3300 h of daylight per year, the percentage of daylight of Xinjiang is 60%-80%, ranking second in China. Its solar energy resources are higher than that of North China and Northeast China at the same latitude and also higher than that of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and South China at low latitude. Among them, southern Xinjiang is particularly rich in light and heat resources. However, solar radiation observation stations are sparse, resulting in the lack of total solar radiation data in Xinjiang. Furthermore, present knowledge of the regional distribution and available areas of solar energy resources is insufficient. The ITPCAS forcing datasets (reanalysis datasets) and monthly solar data of 30 meteorological observation stations were used in this study to analyze and evaluate the spatial and temporal features of total solar radiation and solar energy resources in southern Xinjiang from 1980 to 2015. The regionalization of solar energy resources utilization was further examined. We studied the temporal-spatial distribution of solar radiation using trend, R/S analysis, and wavelet analysis. The finding revealed that the total solar radiation in the southern Xinjiang region fluctuates once every 10-15 years with a clear interannual variation, exhibiting an overall increasing trend. Using the evaluation indexes of photothermal resources to assess the regional solar energy resources and their distribution characteristics, the results indicated that the solar resources in the southern Xinjiang region are more in the south and less in the north. At the same latitude, mountainous areas have more abundant solar energy resources than plains. Among them, the solar energy resources in the Kunlun Mountains region are most abundant and stable. Finally, combined with sand storm frequency, population abundance, and land transportation accessibility to establish an evaluation index system of solar energy resources utilization regionalization, the solar energy resources can be divided into three regions: The Aksu, Kashi, and Hotan Prefecture were identified as grade Ⅰ available areas, characterized by abundant solar energy resources, high utilization, and moderately less dust strom weather, which are the best areas for comprehensive utilization of photoelectric and photobiological energy. Because of the high frequency of sand strom and poor accessibility of land transportation, the Tarim Basin and its marginal areas are identified as grade II available areas, where can be widely applied in an agricultural greenhouse, solar heating, etc. Ruoqiang and other areas are classified as grade III available areas, which are greatly affected by sand and dust weather and have poor conditions for the population and basic transportation facilities. Therefore, the construction of dispersed photovoltaic power stations and independent micronetworks can be highly promoted. These findings reveal that the solar energy resources in southern Xinjiang are extremely abundant, demonstrating a stable growth trend and high utilization value. This research analyzes the temporal-spatial distribution of solar radiation in southern Xinjiang, explains the spatial distribution pattern of solar energy resources, and identifies the solar resource utilization regionalization, which can provide theoretical support for the integration and engineering application of low-cost ecological utilization technology.

Key words: solar energy resources, spatial and temporal distribution characteristics, division research, southern Xinjiang