America’s best-known desert, covered with solar panels: It’s the worst idea possible

by More M.
November 10, 2024


Credits: kondaas

One of America’s beautiful and ecologically sensitive landscapes called The Mojave Desert has recently been targeted as one of those places where solar energy projects can be implemented. Being a place of interest, environmentalists, researchers and scientists argue that covering the place with solar panels is not a good initiative nor a solution for clean energy production.

One of the “Last Great Places” in the globe is the Mojave Desert. Its 20 million acres offer people a variety of benefits, including clean water to drink, fresh air to breathe, energy to power our lives, and economic opportunities ranging from recreation to military training. Its scenic splendour and natural wonders also provide a home to a vast array of plants and animals.
Why the Mojave Desert may not be ideal for solar farms

Just like other special ecological places, the Mojave Desert is home to a variety of ecosystems, featuring distinct plants and animals that have evolved over thousands of years to survive its severe environment. Now, placing large solar panels there will disrupt these ecosystems and degrade the environment. Land clearing for solar power would harm delicate ecosystems, raising the possibility of soil erosion and putting local species in even greater danger.

The flora that wildlife rely on can be eliminated from a single utility-scale plant that can be as big as downtown San Francisco. Restoring the Mojave’s habitats is typically challenging, if not impossible, due to its extreme aridity. Although these changes occur quickly, many of the desert’s inhabitants, such as tortoises, do not. With the existing conservation techniques, it might not be possible to restore the populations of those plants and animals.

Despite being renewable, solar farms also significantly increase the warmth of the surrounding area by absorbing sunlight, which affects local microclimates and desert temperatures. The ensuing alterations may upset the fragile equilibrium that numerous species depend on to survive, posing further difficulties for conservation initiatives in the desert.
Keeping environmental preservation and renewable energy needs in balance

Although we are world striving for sustainability and renewable energy, it is important to desipher what works best and consider options that do not only benefit us as humans and destroty the environment. The Mojave might not be the greatest option for addressing these demands, according to conservationists. They support installing solar panels on roofs, in cities, or on sites that have already been impacted by human activity.

These substitutes can provide energy needs without endangering unspoiled environments. Despite the potential for significant energy generation, the Mojave’s solar projects’ construction and operation ignore environmental costs that may eventually outweigh the advantages. The difficulty for policymakers is striking a balance between environmental protection and the pressing need to meet renewable energy commitments.

Since the electricity produced would have to be transported over great distances to reach urban centres, the Mojave’s isolated position also presents logistical challenges regarding energy transmission, potentially increasing prices and inefficiency for the project. There are so many factors that take us back to why it is better to weigh other options or look for other places to generate energy with solar panels.

The Conservancy is dedicated to ensuring that this landscape becomes a paradigm for sound development by design, notwithstanding the enormous scope of future development in the Mojave. They have their work cut out for them, but they will be there at every turn, according to Zablocki. The future appears bright from her point of view. She is certain that the tortoise can still defeat the hare if we get it right down here.

A sustainable future depends on solar energy, but setting up enormous solar farms in the Mojave Desert of America might not be the wisest course of action. Other sites or approaches might be more sustainable given the environmental impact on delicate ecosystems and possible cultural losses. To ensure that both technical advancement and natural heritage are preserved for future generations, it will be crucial to strike a balance.