China Solar Panel Pollution
Much of the solar power generating capacity has been built in the relatively less populated west of china whereas the major electricity consumption areas such as shanghai and beijing are in the east causing difficulties and expense in transferring the energy between regions with curtailment rates of 30 or more reported in 2017.
China solar panel pollution. Solar panel manufacturers need electricity and thermal energy and carbon emissions from their generation can vary widely with location. The barrier is the polluted air itself and the smog that is so thick that it is preventing sun rays from reaching solar panels. A new study published in nature energy says that air pollution has. New research shows that such smog not only dims the daylight and makes the air hard to breathe but it reduces the amount of sunlight reaching china s solar panels.
Researchers at switzerland s institute for atmospheric and climate science found that solar panels in china produced 15 less electricity in 2015 than they would ve in 1960 due to the rising amount of pollution mainly from coal plants blocking sunlight from hitting the ground. Recycling china s vast numbers of solar panels could prove to be expensive and time consuming. Panels produced in china which relies heavily on coal for power have a larger carbon footprint than those produced in europe. Solar panels 15 less productive due to pollution.