How do people use deserts?

Lesson Objectives

• All students must be able to name three ways that deserts are used by humans

• Most students should be able to explain how humans can use deserts to create renewable energy

• Some students could explain how traditional uses of the desert conflict with the modern uses of the desert

How do people use deserts?

How do people use deserts?

Desert Land-use 1: Solar Power Farms

• Deserts receive a reliable and large amount of sunshine throughout the year.

• Some areas of deserts have created solar farms to take advantage of this.

• One idea is to provide all of the electricity supply for Europe from a single massive solar farm in the Sahara desert, the size of England!

• This will produce cheap, sustainable and pollution free energy.

• However it will cost $100 billion to make!See the next slide for a

Google Earth view of a desert solar farm!

Desert Land-use 1: Solar Power FarmsAnother

one!

Mojave Desert, USA,

North America

Wembley Stadium at the same

scale!