China Turns to Solar Power in Battle Against Desertification

Solar-Panels

YINCHUAN: In northern China’s arid Ningxia region, rows of goji berry bushes now thrive under the shade of vast solar arrays, part of an ambitious effort to curb the advance of deserts. A 1-gigawatt (GW) facility operated by Ningxia Baofeng exemplifies a new model where solar energy generation doubles as a tool to restore fragile ecosystems.

By acting as “mini umbrellas,” the panels reduce evaporation and shield desert-hardy plants, slowing the spread of sand. Similar projects are underway across northern and western China, with Beijing integrating solar into its flagship “Three Norths” anti-desertification program, first launched in 1978.

Between 2025 and 2030, China aims to deploy 253 GW of solar over 7,000 sq km of degraded land — nearly four times the size of Greater London. While such projects represent only a fraction of China’s annual solar rollout, they also protect farmland, with rules now prohibiting installations on arable soil.

China’s fight against desertification is far from over — a quarter of its land remains affected — but progress is measurable. As one conservation official put it, “It is a protracted war. We can’t wipe deserts out completely, but we can minimise their harm.”

By Reuters

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