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As the world’s solar power capacity continues to grow year on year, companies are increasingly looking for ways to expand capacity without relying heavily on arable land to develop projects. Several energy companies are assessing the use of alternative locations to develop solar projects, such as deserts, farms, and waterways. Fiving sites a dual use reduces the negative impact of the project on the environment, thereby helping to make these types of solar projects more sustainable. Energy companies have long been criticised for their use of arable land for solar farm development. Many believe this land could be put to better use. This has driven operators to seek alternative sites to install solar panels, with a focus on dual-purpose sites that can help boost sustainability. In China, the government has developed a solar farm in the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia, as part of the country’s plan to develop a “solar great wall”, with enough energy-generating capacity to power Beijing. The project is expected to be complete by the end of the decade, with the development of a 400-km-long and 5-km-wide “solar wall” with 100 GW of generating capacity. So far, the government has installed around 5.4 GW. The Kubuqi desert is largely devoid of life, consisting of 18,600 km2 of sandy terrain. It is located close to industrial centres, making it a prime location for clean power production. The solar panels are being installed in a long, narrow band of dunes just south of the Yellow River. Project developers hope that the solar panels will provide the shade needed to slow evaporation and potentially make it possible to grow grass or even crops, which could help bring life to the region. They say that the project may also help reduce desertification by halting the movement of dunes through the slowing of winds. In the United States, the development of the Ivanpah solar plant in the Mojave Desert of California in 2014 provided hope for solar power development in desert terrain. Ivanpah relied on concentrated or thermal solar, which, a decade ago, was considered a potential breakthrough. However, the project has been criticised for its environmental damage, with campaigners condemning its impact on desert wildlife. While NRG Energy’s co-owned plant is expected to be shut down starting in 2026, it could leave space for a new kind of solar energy project, using innovative solar panel technology. Another type of solar project growing in popularity is Agrivoltaics, which is solar developed on agricultural sites. This is particularly popular in countries with a limited land supply that aim to expand their renewable energy capacity, such as the Netherlands. Martijn van der Pouw, a business developer in the energy company Statkraft Netherlands, explained, “Agri-PV can resolve the land conflict between renewable energy production and agricultural production.” Van der Pouw stressed that the primary use of the land in agri-PV plants should always be agriculture, and energy production can be integrated into farming practices. Other energy companies have installed solar panels over canals, as is being seen in California’s Central Valley. Project Nexus, $20 million state-funded pilot, was completed in August. It provides 1.6 MW of solar power by transforming parts of the Turlock Irrigation District’s canals into renewable energy hubs by installing solar panels above the canals. It is the second canal-based solar project in the United States, following the launch of a similar project in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2024. The project will be monitored and assessed, and could eventually be used as a blueprint for other projects worldwide, if successful. Preliminary research shows that placing solar panels above water can help keep the panels cool, thereby improving their efficiency. The shade produced by the panels can also help reduce water loss through evaporation, helping to mitigate drought, as well as limit algae growth. The dual use of space for small-scale solar projects also offers potential for energy companies that cannot gain political or community approval for conventional, large-scale solar projects. Various companies around the world have begun to develop solar projects over small bodies of water to support dual-use practices. Japan became an early leader in the use of floating solar power with the development of small-scale solar projects on inland lakes and reservoirs in the country’s Aichi Prefecture. In 2019, it was reported that the biggest Japanese floating solar plant sat behind the Yamakura Dam at Ichihara in Chiba Prefecture, covering 18 hectares and providing almost 5,000 households with power. There is great potential to develop solar projects on non-conventional sites to help establish a dual use for land and water, as well as improve the sustainability of solar power projects. Reducing the impact of solar power on the environment may help to garner political and community support for new projects, as well as have other environmental benefits. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Nigeria Looks to Revive State-Owned Refineries Global Power Demand to Skyrocket 30% by 2035 Lower Oil Prices Drag Down Profits at Chinese Giant CNOOC
