In the vast Gobi Desert of Hami, Xinjiang, a 220-meter-high molten salt tower rises like a beacon of the future on the shores of Naomao Lake. Surrounded by 14,500 heliostats that reflect sunlight onto a central tower, it heats molten salt to generate and store energy.

This 50-megawatt solar thermal power plant – one of China's first generation of solar thermal power demonstration projects and Xinjiang's first solar thermal power plant – fills a crucial gap in renewable energy infrastructure. With its stable output and cutting-edge design, the plant is a model for the region's energy transition.

Amid the desolation, this "lighthouse in the Gobi" is lighting the path to a greener, more sustainable future in China's far west.