Publication Abstracts
Shindell et al. 2024
Shindell, D., I. Petropoulos, , L. Parsons, and M. Bergin, 2024: The impact of decarbonization on particulate soiling of solar panels. ACS EST Air, 1, no. 12, 1531-1540, doi:10.1021/acsestair.4c00105.
Climate researchers have examined many impacts of climate change on energy supply and demand under various scenarios. However, the effect of changing particulate deposition onto solar panel surfaces on solar power production efficiency (i.e., soiling) has not been studied. We therefore characterize probabilistic outcomes across multiple climate models and scenarios. We find large current regional losses (up to 40% without manual cleaning, up to 20% with monthly cleaning and rain removal) in generation that grow slightly under a high-emission scenario, largely due to regional increases in windblown dust. In contrast, under a low-emissions scenario, potential production increases significantly (2-8% interquartile range with only rain removal) due to reduced soiling, especially in regions of Asia and Africa where anthropogenic aerosols are major contributors to soiling. Projected changes vary widely across models in many dusty areas outside of the Sahara and Arabia. Differences can also be large in regions dominated by anthropogenic aerosols, such as Nigeria, eastern China, and northern India, where the full range across modeled potential power production changes extends from -1 to +11% for the end of the century (without manual cleaning), underscoring the need to consider multiple climate models. With large increases in projected solar power deployment, the relatively small potential production increases reported here could nevertheless represent a large dividend in additional energy production. Hence, reductions in air pollution attributable to decarbonization could provide positive feedback under which a greater deployment of solar power (or other renewables) increases the production of solar power, facilitating the transition to renewable energy.
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BibTeX Citation
@article{sh05900r,
author={Shindell, D. and Petropoulos, I. and Faluvegi, G. and Parsons, L. and Bergin, M.},
title={The impact of decarbonization on particulate soiling of solar panels},
year={2024},
journal={ACS ES&T Air},
volume={1},
number={12},
pages={1531--1540},
doi={10.1021/acsestair.4c00105},
}
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RIS Citation
TY - JOUR ID - sh05900r AU - Shindell, D. AU - Petropoulos, I. AU - Faluvegi, G. AU - Parsons, L. AU - Bergin, M. PY - 2024 TI - The impact of decarbonization on particulate soiling of solar panels JA - ACS EST Air JO - ACS ES&T Air VL - 1 IS - 12 SP - 1531 EP - 1540 DO - 10.1021/acsestair.4c00105 ER -
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