Did you know that China is building a pharaonic megastructure known as the Great 'Solar Wall' of China that promises to revolutionize solar energy sector by generating 100 Giga Watt (GW) of energy?

In the Kubuqi Desert, China is working on a new pharaonic megastructure that promises to make history. It is the Great Solar Wall of China, a project with thousands of photovoltaic solar panels. The project, which is expected to redefine the potential of clean energy, especially solar energy, is expected to be completed early in the next decade.

The choice of the name for the Great Solar Wall, which will provide electricity to important cities in the Asian country, is a direct reference to the Great Wall of China, built more than 2.000 years ago. While the purpose of the first wall was to provide protection, the new wall aims to increase energy autonomy by turbocharging the supply in Beijing. When construction is completed, the maximum generating capacity of the pharaonic megastructure will be 100 gigawatts.

The Kubuqi’s sunny weather, flat terrain, and proximity to industrial centers make it a desirable location for solar power generation. Panels are being installed in a long, narrow band of dunes just south of the Yellow River between the cities of Baotou and Bayannur. 

Sandy and mostly devoid of life, the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia once had a reputation for being a “sea of death.” More recently, its dune fields have become a sea of photovoltaic possibility, transformed by a surge of newly installed solar panels. The construction is part of China’s multiyear plan to build a “Solar Great Wall” designed to generate enough energy to power Beijing.

The project, expected to be finished in 2030, will be 400 kilometers (250 miles) long, 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and achieve a maximum generating capacity of 100 gigawatts. So far, Chinese officials say they have installed about 5.4 gigawatts. Its power could strengthen China's leadership in the generation of this type of renewable energy. 

In addition to generating power, planners hope that the installation will have other benefits. They think it may help curb desertification by preventing the movement of dunes and slowing winds. Also, the elevated panels create shade that slows evaporation and may make it easier to grow pasture grasses and other crops beneath them. Analysis of Landsat data indicates that solar projects have contributed to the greening of deserts in other parts of China in recent years.

As of June 2024, China led the world in operating solar farm capacity with 386,875 megawatts, representing about 51 percent of the global total, according to Global Energy Monitor’s Global Solar Power Tracker. The United States ranks second with 79,364 megawatts (11 percent), followed by India with 53,114 megawatts (7 percent).

China’s solar growth has been particularly rapid during the past decade. Between 2017 and 2023, the country’s operational solar capacity surged by an average of 39,994 megawatts per year. The solar capacity of the United States expanded by an average of 8,137 megawatts over the same period

SOURCES: NASA Earth Observatory

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