China Desert Solar Photovoltaic Power Generation

Is desert a hot development zone for wind & solar power farms?

Desert has become the hot development zone of large-scale wind and PV farms. According to China’s Renewable Energy Development Plan, the total installed capacity of wind and solar power farms in desert will reach 200 GW in 2025 and 455 GW in 2030 (National Development and Reform Commission and National Energy Administration, 2021).

Does PV power station deployment promote desert greening in China?

In general, the desert greening (with a significant increase in vegetation) in China from PV power station deployment is largely promoted by the policy-driven Photovoltaic Desert Control Projects. However, the human activities effects on vegetation are often superimposed on the long-term climate-driven variations.

Can solar power control desertification in China?

In recent years, the Chinese government has carried out a series of Photovoltaic Desert Control Projects, aiming to combine the efforts to develop the solar PV sector with measures to control desertification (CGTN, 2017; The state council of the P.R.C., 2019; Cui et al., 2017).

Does China have a solar plant in the northwestern desert?

Sust. Energ. Rev. 191, 114146; 2024). China has many solar projects in its northwestern deserts, including the Tala Shoal plant in Qinghai, which covers an area almost the size of Singapore and has a generating capacity of 22 gigawatts.

Do desert regions have a significant CMP in solar energy development?

Understanding the potential and spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of solar power generation is crucial for decarbonization and renewable energy policy formulation in the power sector, and deserts, Gobi, and desert regions have significant advantages in solar resource development, demonstrating enormous CMP .

What makes China's deserts a good place to grow solar power?

More than 60% of China’s PV resources and development capabilities are concentrated in the deserts (Xinhua News Agency, 2021), together with the flat terrain, low population density, and limited land expenditure costs, which making the deserts ideal for the growth of large-scale PV farms (Xiao et al., 2011; Wu et al., 2014; Tanner et al., 2020).