Could large solar farms in the Sahara Desert redistribute solar power?

Large solar farms in the Sahara Desert could redistribute solar power generation potential locally as well as globally through disturbance of large-scale atmospheric teleconnections, according to simulations with an Earth system model.

Can desert photovoltaic power replace coal-fired power?

In the future carbon-neutral scenario, photovoltaic power from deserts is one of the optimal choices to completely replace coal-fired power (12). Large desert photovoltaic power stations have been successfully and repeatedly practiced in the world.

Does photovoltaic development improve environmental conditions in desert areas?

Photovoltaic development in desert areas has significantly improved local ecological and environmental conditions. At the WPS, the Status and Impact scores were 0.182 and 0.11, respectively, indicating a significant impact on the ecological environment of the study area.

Are desert areas suitable for building photovoltaic power stations?

As is shown in Fig. S1, most desert areas are suitable for building photovoltaic power stations when considering three factors: slope, distance from fresh water resources, and solar irradiation, especially deserts in Australia and Africa.

Are solar panels used in desert areas worldwide?

We assume that solar panels are laid in desert areas worldwide with 20% land utilization and 15% photovoltaic conversion efficiency (14) and calculate the annual power generation under different cleaning frequencies for each desert solar farm.

Can large-scale solar farms influence atmospheric circulation in the Sahara Desert?

Our Earth system model simulations show that the envisioned large-scale solar farms in the Sahara Desert, if covering 20% or more of the area, can significantly influence atmospheric circulation and further induce cloud fraction and RSDS changes (summarized in Fig. 7) across other regions and seasons.