>There is a lot more unusable arid land in the mountain west than there are warehouse rooftops.
What a very human-centric point of view
What a very human-centric point of view
In Google Earth satellite view, go find the entire plateau of dry land wheat farming (non irrigated) on the masive plateau surrounding Waterville, WA. We have already significantly modified the desert environment there for other purposes. Look at all the square areas of wheat farming.
Go find "Atomic City, ID" in a satellite view and look at the desert brush land surrounding it for an area that's so arid that humans haven't even tried to irrigate it or do something like dry land wheat farming.
There has been a large movement that has been working towards tearing these down due to their ecological impact. Additionally, Lake Mead has a risk of the water level falling too low and stopping power generation at Hoover Dam.
Some concerns that solar plants could have on wildlife are:
- Increased human presence in areas that previously were not frequented
- Maintenance roads will need to be built
- Migration corridors could be severed, leading to less genetic diversity in an area
- Unknown impact on wildlife. For example, maybe the solar panels make it difficult for local hawks to hunt. As of 2021, scientists have generally agreed that more studies are needed to determine this. [0]
[0]: https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-11/Solar%20I...