Paul Miller
Senior lecturer
Large-scale photovoltaic solar farms in the Sahara affect solar power generation potential globally
Author
Summary, in English
Globally, solar projects are being rapidly built or planned, particularly in high solar potential regions with high energy demand. However, their energy generation potential is highly related to the weather condition. Here we use state-of-the-art Earth system model simulations to investigate how large photovoltaic solar farms in the Sahara Desert could impact the global cloud cover and solar generation potential through disturbed atmospheric teleconnections. The results indicate negative impacts on solar potential in North Africa (locally), Middle East, Southern Europe, India, Eastern China, Japan, Eastern Australia, and Southwestern US, and positive impacts in Central and South America, the Caribbean, Central & Eastern US, Scandinavia and South Africa, reaching a magnitude of ±5% in remote regions seasonally. Diagnostics suggest that large-scale atmospheric circulation changes are responsible for the global impacts. International cooperation is essential to mitigate the potential risks of future large-scale solar projects in drylands, which could impact energy production.
Department/s
- Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- MERGE: ModElling the Regional and Global Earth system
- BECC: Biodiversity and Ecosystem services in a Changing Climate
- eSSENCE: The e-Science Collaboration
- LU Profile Area: Nature-based future solutions
Publishing year
2024
Language
English
Publication/Series
Communications Earth and Environment
Volume
5
Issue
1
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Springer Nature
Topic
- Energy Systems
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 2662-4435