Landsat 8 satellite takes pictures of millions of solar cells seen from space

With high temperatures, barren soil, limited water resources and frequent storms, the town of Phalodi in India's Thar desert is an inhospitable place to live. However, the abundance of open space and sunlight makes this remote area in western Rajasthan the ideal place to harvest solar energy.

Part of Bhadla Solar Park in this image taken on January 26 by Landsat 8 satellite.

Bhadla Solar Park started appearing in satellite imagery in 2015. Now, millions of solar panels cover Phalodi, bringing a metallic sheen to the landscape that was once only brown and sandy. The image taken with natural colors by the Landsat 8 satellite on January 26 shows the scale of the Bhadla Solar Park as seen from space.

Bhadla Solar Park covers more than 5,700 hectares, about a third of the area of ​​Washington DC. The project has a total capacity of 2,245 MW and is one of the largest solar parks in the world. The recent construction of this place has helped Rajasthan overtake Karnataka as the state with the largest installed solar capacity in India.

The clear skies of the Thar desert provide ample sunlight, but the frequent dust storms present a technical challenge. They coat the solar panels with layers of minerals and sand, hindering the production of electricity.

Some operators choose to deploy thousands of cleaning robots on the panels, a strategy aimed at reducing the need for workers and reducing the amount of water needed for cleaning. Satellite imagery could also aid this work, according to some new studies, by helping companies identify dust accumulation and optimize cleaning operations.