Image Courtesy: Huawei
China is rapidly transforming the Kubuqi Desert in Inner Mongolia into one of the world’s largest renewable energy hubs, building a 250-mile-long (400-kilometer) corridor of solar panels that is visible from space and designed to help power some of the country’s most populous regions.
Among the sprawling installations is the Junma Solar Power Station, home to a massive image of a galloping horse created entirely from solar panels. The project holds a Guinness World Record for the largest image ever formed by solar panels while also generating roughly 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. The broader development is part of China’s plan to build 100 gigawatts of solar capacity across the desert region.
Satellite imagery captured by Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 over a seven-year period highlights the rapid pace of construction. The solar corridor stretches up to three miles wide and is expected to supply approximately 40 billion kilowatt-hours of clean electricity annually to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region by the end of the decade.
Progress remains ongoing. By 2024, roughly 5.4 GW of capacity had been completed, including 2 GW from the Three Gorges Kubuqi renewable energy base. An additional 7 GW is expected to come online during 2026. Once fully developed, the Three Gorges project alone is expected to provide 16 GW of generating capacity, including 8 GW from solar, 4 GW from wind, and 4 GW from coal-fired generation used to stabilize the power grid during periods of lower renewable output.
The project is also serving environmental goals beyond electricity production. The solar panels are mounted higher than conventional installations, allowing them to function as windbreaks while reducing soil moisture loss. Their shade creates conditions that support the growth of grass and crops in previously barren areas.
Satellite observations have already documented increasing vegetation in parts of the desert where solar farms have been operating for several years. Researchers are continuing to study whether these ecological changes could eventually influence local rainfall patterns.
One of the biggest challenges remains transmitting electricity from Inner Mongolia to cities more than 800 miles away. China has already begun expanding long-distance transmission infrastructure to connect the region with major population centers in eastern and southern parts of the country.