NASA’s Landsat 9 satellite captured Kubuqi Desert and Solar Power Plant.
The Kubuqi Desert is a desert within the Ordos Basin in northwestern China, under the administration of the Inner Mongolian prefecture of Ordos City. Located between the Hetao plains and the Loess Plateau, it is part of the Ordos Desert along with the neighboring Mu Us Desert to its south, and is the 7th-largest desert in China. The area had gone through desertification due to centuries of overgrazing. Starting in 1988, the Elion Resources Group and the Government of Beijing worked to reverse desertification and restore the environment. By 2017, one third of the desert has had greenery restored. Solar panels being installed to produce electricity are also reducing wind speeds, and the shaded areas preserve moisture. Gigawatt-scale powerplants are being built in the desert, using solar panels and wind turbines.
The local scenery on the ground is as follows.
Reference: NASA Earth’s Tweet
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