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Sort of the opposite, in fact! It is blocking solar energy to 'terraform' the area around solar farms. (Well, first it terraforms the area under the solar farm,
by sfink 4y ago
Sort of the opposite, in fact! It is blocking solar energy to 'terraform' the area around solar farms. (Well, first it terraforms the area under the solar farm, then we use that to terraform the surrounding area.)
We are creating a shaded microclimate underneath a field of solar panels, which apparently can be harvested to meaningfully impact a larger area with a different climate.
I wish they'd given figures on the expansion factor: one hectare of solar farm is enough to seed X hectares of desert.
It reminds me of how the Amazon rainforest is fed in great part by a single small area in the Sahara (the Bodélé Depression in Chad). The area is 150km × 500km, but it seems like the relevant area (the winds have to exceed 36km/h to pick up enough dust to matter) may be smaller?
- sbierwagen 4y agoSince solar farms on average make the land they're on darker, therefore making them hotter, I've wondered if megascale PV installations would eventually include a few acres of PDRC panels (engineered materials that reflect visible light but radiate infrared light https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_daytime_radiative_cooling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_daytime_radiative_cool... ) to balance out their albedo contribution on net. They would look pretty funny from altitude. With alternating black solar panels and white radiator panels would they average out to gray? Tweak the pigment mix slightly so they end up a tan-ish resembling the dirt they cover?