New research published in the journal Nature Energy suggests the country's densely polluted atmosphere is blocking the sun's rays, preventing solar panels from harvesting energy efficiently.
China is rapidly expanding its solar power supply, hoping to meet 10 percent of the nation's electricity needs with solar energy by 2030. But there's a problem: Severe air pollution is blocking light from the sun, significantly reducing China's output of solar energy, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of the country.
Air pollution in China has gotten so bad, the sun can't reach solar panels that were installed to help reduce smog in the first place, according to a new study. Generation of solar power in China has fallen 11% to 15% because of air pollution blocking the sun's rays, according to the study published last week in Nature Energy.
Solar power can help reduce air pollution in China, as increased PV efficiency and deployment would further decrease air pollutant emissions. However, severe aerosol pollution in China reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching the surface, which could impact the overall effectiveness of solar power in this context.
Does aerosol pollution affect solar power generation in China?
Aerosol pollution significantly reduces surface solar radiation suitable for PV electricity generation in much of China. This reduction is a concern as China plans to provide 10% of total electricity demand by 2030 through the growth of solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation.
Hence, the annual carbon emissions of PV systems in central and eastern China will continue to rapidly increase, while those in areas with abundant solar radiation resources may maintain a relatively stable level.
Can air pollution mitigation increase solar PV electricity generation in China?
Our results indicate that air pollution mitigation has great potential to increase solar PV electricity generation in China. PV electricity generated using One-T or Two-T could be transmitted from a clean, low-demand, resource-abundant area to a more polluted, high-demand area.