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From curtailment to synergy: Integrating renewable energy utilization with forage production, ecological restoration and carbon sequestration in China’s Three-North drylands
China's Three-North Region hosts of the world's largest wind and solar installations, yet renewable curtailment persists due to insufficient local demand and congested transmission. Simultaneously, this region faces chronic forage protein shortages, widespread grassland degradation, and weak carbon sink capacity. We propose a Green Biomanufacturing Infrastructure (GBI) paradigm that transforms these intersecting challenges into a fourfold synergy: renewable energy utilization, forage production, ecological restoration, and carbon sequestration. Surplus wind/solar power drives five integrated modules: (i) direct current (DC)-driven desalination and atmospheric water harvesting for fresh water, (ii) agrivoltaic forage cultivation and ecological grassland restoration, (iii) adaptive plant-factories powered by photovoltaic (PV) and thermal storage with smart light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, (iv) artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted microalgal photobioreactors coupled with green ammonia synthesis, and (v) renewable-powered biomass drying and processing. Together, these systems form flexible “biological loads” that dynamically follow the renewable supply profile. Rather than moving electricity far away or storing it chemically, the green electricity is directly used to create forage, vegetation cover and carbon sinks in situ, thus simultaneously addressing power curtailment, feed security, ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration. This perspective outlines the concept, supporting technologies, and policy measures for realizing such a co-beneficial infrastructure in North China.