Case study II, PV panels on dryland" is an artwork that highlights the current and future use of artificial intelligence in territorial planning and infrastructure development.

Following Case Study I (Underground hydraulic infrastructure), this second case study, part of an ongoing series, focuses on the energy issue and the expansion of solar panel infrastructure in desert regions. What might the Mojave Desert in California - whose electricity needs from surrounding urban centers are rapidly growing - look like in the future?

Using real cartographic data from the area (including a rare original vector plan of the desert tortoise study zone in relation to solar infrastructure), AI software—sometimes guided by textual inputs from us—speculates on the future expansion of this energy network by generating visual predictions.

At the heart of the artwork, visitors can view the original map, a visual testament to one of the largest solar projects in the world: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. At the core of the artwork, visitors can distinguish the original document, a visual testament to one of the world's largest project of this type of photovoltaic Installation: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System.

Surrounding it, AI has drawn the extension of the solar panel network, sometimes precisely mimicking the style of the initial map, sometimes taking the liberty to invent intriguing new graphic codes. Is the nuance between the two perceptible? Has the machine continued to take into account the protection of ecosystems, and in particular wildlife such as desert tortoises, in the course of its expansion - as was the case in the original document? The ensemble forms a graphic and geometric work where abstraction predominates.

Formally, this piece is composed of interlaced squares similar to those generated by computer graphics software when rendering an image. At the heart of this mapping, a screen continuously displays provocative visions of infrastructure developments performed by AI, offering a glimpse of a future under construction.

The project highlights the tension between the need to promote a cleaner energy future and the concern to minimize the negative repercussions these infrastructures may have on wildlife, flora, and the landscape.