Heating facilities have always been a challenge for border defense in high-altitude areas.
High altitude, low temperatures, remote location, and long distances are the basic characteristics of plateau border defense areas, especially on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is known as the "Roof of the World," where extreme climates and complex topography are more common. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has long been characterized by strong radiation, abundant sunshine, low temperatures, and limited accumulated temperature, resulting in a unique climate with large daily temperature ranges, long, dry, cold winters with strong winds, and cool, rainy summers with frequent hail. This makes the construction of military infrastructure for border defense extremely difficult. Heating and insulation systems for border defense camps are particularly crucial.
For a long time, adhering to the concept of serving combat readiness, the barracks heating methods adopted by our border guards have mostly been radiator installation and self-built hydroelectric power stations. In areas without hydroelectric power, solar panels are used. In addition, there are demountable self-powered insulated cabins, which essentially integrate demountable structures, ultra-low energy consumption, renewable energy cogeneration, and passive solar house technologies. They adopt integrated steel tenon structures, sandwich polyurethane insulation composite panels, wind-solar-diesel-storage multi-source microgrids, biodegradable tanks, and other components.
The diverse heating systems implemented due to different terrains have largely supported the basic heating supply for border defense camps.
A smart system that can "self-adjust" based on weather conditions
The much-anticipated multi-energy complementary clean energy integrated heating system, also known as a parabolic trough solar thermal power generation system or simply a trough mirror system, works by arranging three rows of huge solar reflectors in series and parallel to focus direct sunlight, heating special oil pipes to generate high temperatures. This high temperature then exchanges energy with water in a storage tank, thus providing heating services.
Although the parabolic trough system, as a clean energy heating system, has not yet been widely deployed, research on this technology began very early.
As early as the 1970s, my country began research on parabolic trough solar thermal power generation technology. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the University of Science and Technology of China conducted unit-based experimental research. By 2009, Huayuan New Energy Engineering Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, and other research institutions, developed a solar high-temperature thermal utilization system characterized by simple equipment structure, convenient installation, and long service life. Meanwhile, at the end of the same year, the "Solar Thermal Power Generation Research and Industrial Base," with a total investment of 17.6 billion yuan, broke ground in Xiaoshan District, Weifang City, Shandong Province. According to previous media reports, once completed, this base will become the world's largest and most extensive solar thermal power generation research and industrial base, an international technology promotion and industrialization base for solar thermal power generation, and an international technical education and training base for solar thermal power generation.
The newly installed trough-type mirror system is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, and can automatically track the sun's position to maximize solar energy absorption. In extreme high-altitude weather conditions such as heavy snow, it can automatically rotate to prevent snow and ice accumulation from causing operational difficulties. Furthermore, in rainy or snowy weather, when there is no sun, the system can be combined with wind turbines on the mountain to utilize wind power to replace solar thermal energy collection, ensuring the same heating effect.
postscript
The phrase "national defense science and technology" emphasizes that modern warfare no longer relies solely on traditional weapons; science and technology have become the core competitiveness of future warfare. Whether it's frontline weapons development, logistical support for military infrastructure, or even seemingly mundane logistical tasks like camp heating, the future will be inseparable from the support of science and technology. Only by embarking on the path of technological innovation can a nation truly become strong.
