Climate change is a vicious cycle. Humanity’s destructive tendencies have reached a critical point, and it could be said that Mother Earth is fighting back. Ironically, it also makes our efforts to reverse climate change less effective, hence the circular nature of things. For example, global warming is drying the soil of the Saharan Desert at an accelerating rate, which in turn increases the amount of sand in the atmosphere. Experts warn that this amount could increase by 40 to 60 percent by the turn of the century. Even today, the same Saharan dust is moving towards the European continent and preventing solar farms in Mediterranean countries like Italy and Spain.
How does Sahara dust harm Europe and its solar panels? According to a study, the growing problem of dust episodes in the Sahara reduces the efficiency and production of solar panels by 25 to 40%. In Italy the decline was recorded up to 46% losses, with similar figures observed in Spain (between 4% and 40%). Solar energy is a net positive for the environment, and solar panels can even help plants thrive. There are also many tax incentives. For example, solar farms in Europe have already produced a surplus of electricity, meaning a 40% loss in efficiency is of particular concern.
The study clarified that Mediterranean cyclones lead to higher dust levels and cloud cover. Unfortunately, Sahara Desert dust increases the optical depth of aerosols, which reduces transmission in the atmosphere and, as a direct side effect, reduces power output. These dust phenomena will only get worse as climate change worsens, which is why scientists are increasingly concerned about the overall reliability of solar grids in this part of Europe.
Could installing solar farms in the Sahara reverse the damage?
The study concluded that as these events will become increasingly frequent and intense, taking into account the uncertainties related to Saharan dust should be essential during the infrastructure planning phase. However, is there a more proactive approach? Well, in theory, turning the entire Saharan territory into a solar farm would literally make it green. Wind turbines and solar farms would increase precipitation, which could encourage the growth of new vegetation. In other words, the entire desert would come back to life.
A great way to get rid of dust, isn’t it? Furthermore, covering just 1.2% of the entire territory would generate enough juice for the entire world, therefore killing two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, the scenario seems better in theory. In practice, the Sahara panels would be darker than the surrounding sand, meaning they would attract more heat and be prone to overheating. Sand would also build up on solar panels, making them less efficient. Transforming the Sahara into a tropical forest seems positive, but it would be devastating. The entire ecosystem would collapse, increasing global temperatures and further worsening climate change.
Ultimately, Europe and its solar farms will have to find a way to cope with the dusty winds of the Sahara. Terraforming the desert to prevent it from traveling to the continent is overkill, even if we could find an efficient way to transport a bunch of solar panels across the desert. Until scientists find a better solution, countries across the Old Continent will just have to plan better and hope for the best.
