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Global Weather Disruption if Sahara Desert Covered in Solar Panels

jschveibinz 6y ago
I am just spitballing here, but if black panels are going to create heat, then could they intersperse them with white, blank panels to offset the heating effect? I would like to see the simulation of a checkerboard pattern—it should be about the same as sand?
danaliv 6y ago
...is that something we were seriously considering?
- cjbenedikt 6y ago
  https://www.desertec.org/ https://www.desertec.org/
  - djrogers 6y ago
    Well, that link is about solar thermal electric plants, whereas TFA is about photovoltaic plants. It seems quite logical that the climate impact of the 2 technologies would be different.
djrogers 6y ago
Is there any reason these PV panels would have to be black?
- labawi 6y ago
  To generate electricity, they need to absorb light (hence dark) not reflect it (white), and there are inefficiencies, which end up as heat. Technically no, we could produce solar cells that release no more heat than sand, but it would either substantially reduce output per area, and/or call for more complicated, different types of solar cells than we currently produce, possibly with more toxic materials. There are semi-transparent solar cells in production today, but their output per area is about 1/10 of traditional ones. I like the checkerboard idea.
labawi 6y ago
It might have bad effects, but I guess it would still be better than out current climate-change trajectory.
danaliv 6y ago
So the headline (and the article itself) buries the lede a little bit. "The model revealed that when the size of the solar farm reaches 20% of the total area of the Sahara, it triggers a feedback loop." Twenty percent. Not "covered." That strikes this uninformed internet commenter as a much more realistically problematic threshold.
- SubiculumCode 6y ago
  Good point. I'd edit the title of my submission if I could to include 20%. Doesn't appear I can do that now.
fred_is_fred 6y ago
The results would be interesting if you could also combine this with the Qattara Depression sea project in terms of climate impact. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project
jonnycomputer 6y ago
I think this underscores for me just how hard it is to equitably administer the earth's ecosystem. solar in Sahara => more Saharan vegetation => drought in Brazil & hurricanes for America. How the heck are we going to adjudicate stuff like this? Indeed ignorance would be bliss; unworthy stewards of the earth that we are.
jonnycomputer 6y ago
Would an equivalent amount of solar located somewhere else have a different effect?

I am just spitballing here, but if black panels are going to create heat, then could they intersperse them with white, blank panels to offset the heating effect? I would like to see the simulation of a checkerboard pattern—it should be about the same as sand?

danaliv 6y ago

...is that something we were seriously considering?

cjbenedikt 6y ago
https://www.desertec.org/ https://www.desertec.org/
- djrogers 6y ago
  Well, that link is about solar thermal electric plants, whereas TFA is about photovoltaic plants. It seems quite logical that the climate impact of the 2 technologies would be different.

djrogers 6y ago

Is there any reason these PV panels would have to be black?

labawi 6y ago
To generate electricity, they need to absorb light (hence dark) not reflect it (white), and there are inefficiencies, which end up as heat. Technically no, we could produce solar cells that release no more heat than sand, but it would either substantially reduce output per area, and/or call for more complicated, different types of solar cells than we currently produce, possibly with more toxic materials. There are semi-transparent solar cells in production today, but their output per area is about 1/10 of traditional ones. I like the checkerboard idea.

labawi 6y ago

It might have bad effects, but I guess it would still be better than out current climate-change trajectory.

danaliv 6y ago

So the headline (and the article itself) buries the lede a little bit. "The model revealed that when the size of the solar farm reaches 20% of the total area of the Sahara, it triggers a feedback loop." Twenty percent. Not "covered." That strikes this uninformed internet commenter as a much more realistically problematic threshold.

SubiculumCode 6y ago
Good point. I'd edit the title of my submission if I could to include 20%. Doesn't appear I can do that now.

fred_is_fred 6y ago

The results would be interesting if you could also combine this with the Qattara Depression sea project in terms of climate impact. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project

jonnycomputer 6y ago

I think this underscores for me just how hard it is to equitably administer the earth's ecosystem. solar in Sahara => more Saharan vegetation => drought in Brazil & hurricanes for America. How the heck are we going to adjudicate stuff like this? Indeed ignorance would be bliss; unworthy stewards of the earth that we are.

jonnycomputer 6y ago

Would an equivalent amount of solar located somewhere else have a different effect?