Solar Shields in the Sands: China's Desert Battle

In northern China, solar panels are being used innovatively to combat desertification by creating shade for plant growth. As part of the strategy, vast arrays of panels are helping protect and reclaim desertified land. China plans to expand solar-driven desert rehabilitation significantly by 2030.

In the arid expanse of northern China, innovative solutions are taking root to combat the relentless spread of deserts. Dozens of workers meticulously tend to goji berry bushes beneath the vast, shade-casting canopy of solar panels.

This ambitious project, helmed by Ningxia Baofeng, aims to leverage solar technology as a weapon against desertification. A sprawling 1-gigawatt facility in Ningxia stands as a testament to this effort, with plans to expand similar projects across northern and western China.

China's government is keen on rapidly scaling up these solar-driven projects, with a goal of rehabilitating significant swathes of desert terrain by 2030. By strategically deploying solar panels and taking lessons from the past, China battles its deserts in a protracted but hopeful campaign.

(With inputs from agencies.)