China confirms that installing solar panels in deserts irreversibly transforms the ecosystem

13 comments

1. So putting solar or to be clear the shade they provide makes the soil better in a desert…. How is this shocking? We already saw this with agro-solar. Did they think it would be different in a desert?

2. So putting solar or to be clear the shade they provide makes the soil better in a desert…. How is this shocking? We already saw this with agro-solar. Did they think it would be different in a desert?

3. > A groundbreaking study conducted at a massive solar installation in the Talatan Desert reveals that solar panels don’t just harness the sun’s power—they alter soil conditions, encourage vegetation growth, and reshape the local climate. These findings could change how we think about the relationship between renewable energy and the environment.

4. Umm duhh. You are providing shade and that will Kickstart a whole new ecosystem under those panels. In return, good vegetation for a very dry place

5. It’s always fun when you run into the anti-green energy people who say things like “windmills kill birds!” or “solar panels alter the dessert’s delicate and fragile ecosystem!” while seemingly not having any problem whatsoever from, ya know, the extraction of **8 billion tonnes of coal, 4 billion tonnes of oil, and over 4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas** every year generating 35 billion tons of CO2 and toxic substances and driving widespread destruction and extinction.

6. I feel like solar could be helped along a ton by making it easily accessible to anyone who wanted it on rooftops, covering parking lots etc. it could open up a ton of solar space while not causing issues with the environment but probably screw up energy companies profit margins.

7. Mostly a cleverly clickbaited title, made to sound like it’s something bad.

8. It’s interesting they increase plant growth beneath them but not surprising. Planting them over crops increases harvests. Plants need a certain amount of light to grow and once that is exceeded it only causes extra evaporation which stresses the plants.

9. This will be beneficial in Australia too if really large-scale desert solar farms like Sun Cable are approved.

10. Based on my firsthand experience and on-site observation:

    A solar park requires a small amount of water to clean the dust off the solar panels. As the water runs down from the panels, it irrigates the dessert land. The shade from the solar panels reduces evaporation, gradually allowing vegetation to take root. However, as the vegetation grows, it starts blocking sunlight, affecting the efficiency of the solar panels. To manage this, small mammals are introduced to graze around the area. Their droppings, in turn, enrich the soil with nutrients, further supporting the ecosystem.

11. Hasn’t this been studied before? It’s why you can’t cover the Sahara in solar panels because it would cool the are and over a long period of time it would no longer be a desert. The effects would be far reaching because the sand from the Sahara is carried on the wind to the Amazon which helps deposit minerals.

12. Ok and? We are way beyond the point where preserving desert ecosystems is a priority

    There’s going to be plenty of desert if the world is 5 degrees hotter

13. Know what else irreversibly changes the ecosystem? Burning billions of tons of fossil fuels.

    Article may be ok, but title is click bait city

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