China enlists solar panels in war to halt desert sands

In arid northern China, dozens of workers prune goji berry bushes that stretch out under the protective shade of thousands of solar panels. The 1 gigawatt (GW) facility in the northwestern region of Ningxia is part of a network across northern and western China that use the bulk and shade of solar panels to stop and reverse the spread of deserts. Owner Ningxia Baofeng 600989.SS, a major participant in the coal chemical industry, plans to build 30 GW of solar generation, some of which will be used to stop desertification, according to Liu Yuanguan, the company's vice chairperson. A similar 1 GW project in nearby Majiatan is already active, he added. "All of the panels above are like mini umbrellas,"...