For a long time, the construction of large-scale solar power plants (SPPs) and the restoration of ecosystems were considered completely different, unrelated directions. Desert regions with their colossal level of insolation have always attracted energy corporations, but the aggressive environment – shifting sands, dust storms and extreme temperatures – significantly reduced the efficiency of photovoltaic modules.
In 2024–2026, China successfully scaled up the concept of solar farming, proving that innovative energy-agricultural complexes can act not only as a source of clean electricity, but also as a powerful engineering tool for regenerating degraded soils.
The essence of desert solar farming is to create an artificial two-tiered landscape. The upper tier is formed by arrays of solar panels raised on special high supports, and the lower tier becomes a zone for the restoration of the biocenosis.
Installing such solar canopies radically changes the microclimate beneath them thanks to purely physical mechanisms:
Under the protective shield of energy-agricultural complexes, Chinese agronomists are planting drought-resistant and salt-tolerant crops, among which the absolute leader is the Ural licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). The choice of this plant is due to a strict pragmatic calculation:
Thanks to such synergy, thousands of hectares of former desert in northern China have turned into thriving energy and agricultural clusters, which locals call “energy oases.”
Analysts at the AVELife Institute see China’s energy-agricultural complexes as a perfect demonstration of the principle of “Engineering instead of slogans.” This is a business model where ecological restoration generates profit (through electricity and medicinal raw materials) rather than requiring ongoing subsidies.
However, to achieve maximum effect in the regeneration of such extreme zones, we suggest integrating underground nutrition technology. Planting licorice under panels will show significantly higher results if during planting use organic-mineral complexes of the GREENODIN series based on glauconite:
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