As farmers and herdsmen are scattered across a broad expanse of land, electricity is beyond their reach. The spread and application of solar energy cells have made their dream become true. To know the current living situation of the Tibetan people, one has only to look at what they eat and wear, what they use to decorate their rooms. Because harsh natural conditions featuring thin air and low temperature are not conducive to horticulture and growing garden crops, fresh vegetables and fruit have to be brought in by road and air from elsewhere. The development of heliogreenhouse technology has considerably enriched dining tables year-round with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and eggs.
People begin to pay more attention to nutrition and healthy food.
Reform and opening policy, as well as successive waves of scientific and technological revolution, have made the Tibetan people's lives better and prosperous. Since 1979, the Solar Energy Research Institute of Tibet Autonomous Region has been developing solar energy stoves, ovens, water heaters, heat collectors, greenhouses and heating houses. All these facilities have passed through the experimentation and demonstration phases and have been widely used. In addition, the region had built a swimming pool and 140,000 square meters of housing with solar heating system, and 1.5 million square meters of various types of heliogreenhouses. This has helped save energy equivalent to 120,000 tons of standard coal annually.