How the development of solar and wind farms on the Tibetan Plateau is affecting local communities

China’s national government policies on energy and economic development are changing pastoral life on the Tibetan Plateau.

By: Sanggay Tashi, University of Colorado Boulder, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 11, 2026

Words: 1,693

Last Updated: 9 hours, 2 minutes ago

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By Sanggay Tashi, University of Colorado Boulder

China is building some of the world’s largest solar farms on the Tibetan Plateau, where nomadic people have grazed herds of animals for millennia.

It’s not the first time Tibetan regions have become a major source of renewable energy in China. Since the mid-1990s, many Tibetan communities have lived alongside hydropower stations.

Now, with vast open landscapes and high elevations that provide ideal conditions for harnessing …

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