Desert damage: the dark side of solar power?

Thousands of acres of solar panels could spring up across California’s Mojave Desert like a crop of crystal mushrooms – a new kind of gold rush meant to bring powerful environmental benefits.

Cutting such a wide swath, however, might also disrupt desert ecosystems and the fragile plants that thrive there.
It’s a concern expressed by some policymakers and scientists, including Darren Sandquist, a Cal State Fullerton biologist with a perspective all his own.

For years, Sandquist has studied the subtle changes wrought across the desert surface by railroads.

Such structures divert runoff into culverts and channels, altering the flow of water across the land. That, in turn, changes both the types of plants in the Mojave as well as where they grow. Similar effects can be expected from large solar array or wind power projects.

Miami Herald