Solar cells as China's new weapon in the fight against desertification

China wants to use solar panels to combat desert sand and protect plants and soil. They are intended to serve as sun protection for plants and soil, reducing moisture evaporation and stabilizing the sand.

In the Ningxia region, there is a solar power plant with a capacity of one gigawatt, where workers grow goji berries under the collectors. The Baofeng company plans to build 30 gigawatts of such solar capacity by 2030.

This approach is part of a long-term government program launched in 1978 that focuses on combating desertification and will run until 2050.
Solar panels act as small umbrellas that provide shade for planted trees and shrubs, while barriers protect the surrounding area from sand drifts. The implementation itself takes several years, but the results are positive.

Between 2025 and 2030, China plans to install 253 gigawatts of solar energy, which will contribute to the restoration of approximately 7,000 square kilometers of desert landscape, an area about four times the size of London. Projects of this kind also protect agricultural land from being built on with solar installations.

Even if the desert will not disappear completely, the Chinese hope to mitigate its spread and the harmful effects of desertification on the landscape and the local population.

(reuters, sie)