China wants to become the world’s leading producer of solar energy and is investing massively in solar panels that now cover huge swathes of desert. <br /><br /> The nation is the biggest market for solar energy in the world and home to most of the largest panel manufacturers.<br /><br /> When completed, the Gao Tai solar park will cover 319 square kilometres – that’s three times the size of Paris, or 80 000 solar panels per square kilometre. <br /><br /> “This used to be the Gobi desert, there was nothing here, just stones and wind, the earth wasn’t arable, it wasn’t profitable, but now, it’s a treasure,” says Wei Lang, director of the Gao Tai solar park. <br /><br /> A nearby coal factory is spewing dark smoke. <br /><br /> China knows its dependency on coal is no longer viable. Its towns are suffocating, pressure from the public opinion is growing. <br /><br /> And China has considerable natural assets according to the head of the Huineng solar plant: “It’s not always like this, we have more than 280 days of sunshine a year. Winters are very
