Earth’s climate could be affected by solar

It won’t be long before climate change’s dramatic events motivate us to act. How long can we be complacent? Pollution is a problem that must be tackled, or else we will suffer dire consequences. Soon we are all going to have to make the switch to renewable energy. The reasons are obvious but not everyone accepts the reality of man-made global climate change. But even sustainable energy technologies may have an effect on global climate.

Studies show the efficacy of solar power

In a recent study, researchers used computerized climate models to research what would happen if the world’s entire energy supply were changed to solar. The assumption was that solar panels would be installed in most of the desert regions of the world, where the supply of sunlight is greatest, and in urban areas, where the demand for power is greatest. In locations covered by solar panels, less solar radiation becomes absorbed by the Earth, because it gets absorbed by the solar panels (and converted to electricity) instead. Large-scale installation of solar panels would decrease absorption of solar radiation by up to 19% in desert areas, the researchers found. In turn, this has cascading effects on the climate. At a global scale, the changes from solar panel installation are small compared to those predicted to occur due to greenhouse gases. But at a regional level, some of these climatic shifts could be significant, the researchers say.

Temperatures will gradually decrease

The average temperature in desert regions would decrease by about 2 degrees Celsius. Desert precipitation could also decrease by over 20%, mostly because the presence of solar panels also reduces cloud cover. Researcher models suggest this desert cooling would lead to changes in wind patterns, a shift in the location of the jet stream, and altered precipitation levels for many areas.  The study presents an extreme scenario: the researchers assumed that 100 percent of the land area in cities and deserts would be covered with solar panels, which isn’t realistic. Those solar panels would generate almost 800 terawatts of power, much more than the world’s current projected energy requirements. 

There has never been a better time to install a solar energy system!

Solar power is here to stay, and the sooner you explore how much you can save, the sooner you can enjoy the benefits of residential solar power. Go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool. It tells you how much solar power you need, and how much you can save.

Please visit our solar blog to find out more about the benefits of going solar.