Drove through central Texas last week and saw solar panels covering a whole dried-up lake bed

Was heading to Austin for a job. Passed by this reservoir that's been bone dry for years. Now it's just rows and rows of panels. Felt weird seeing green energy on a dead water body. Locals told me the lake hasn't come back since the drought in 2011. Is this really a trade-off we should be making? Solar farms taking over water sources that might refill one day?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_keith20d ago

Man that's wild, I drove past a golf course last year that got turned into a solar farm after they ran out of water.

julia_fisher2820d ago

Got a buddy who lives in Arizona and he told me his whole neighborhood's golf course dried up and they turned it into a community garden with some solar panels on the clubhouse roof. He said it's actually kind of nice now because people actually hang out there instead of just driving by in golf carts. I guess water rights out there are getting crazy expensive so it makes sense. Idk if I'd want that where I live, but it seems like a smart move for them.