Zhengyao Lu, a researcher at the department, has published a popular science article in The Conversation on how plans to use solar panels in the Sahara can affect the climate. Among other things, Zhengyao states that:
"While the black surfaces of solar panels absorb most of the sunlight that reaches them, only a fraction (around 15%) of that incoming energy gets converted to electricity. The rest is returned to the environment as heat. The panels are usually much darker than the ground they cover, so a vast expanse of solar cells will absorb a lot of additional energy and emit it as heat, affecting the climate."