COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China
We exploit changes in air quality seen during the COVID-19 lockdown over China to show how a cleaner atmosphere has notable co-benefits for solar concentrator photovoltaic energy generation. We use satellite observations and analyses of the atmospheric state to simulate surface broadband and spectra...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd42f |
| _version_ | 1827870454319153152 |
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| author | Kelvin Tsz Hei Choi Helen Brindley |
| author_facet | Kelvin Tsz Hei Choi Helen Brindley |
| author_sort | Kelvin Tsz Hei Choi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We exploit changes in air quality seen during the COVID-19 lockdown over China to show how a cleaner atmosphere has notable co-benefits for solar concentrator photovoltaic energy generation. We use satellite observations and analyses of the atmospheric state to simulate surface broadband and spectrally resolved direct normal irradiance (DNI). Over Wuhan, the first city placed under lockdown, we show how the atmospheric changes not only lead to a 19.8% increase in broadband DNI but also induce a significant blue-shift in the DNI spectrum. Feeding these changes into a solar cell simulator results in a 29.7% increase in the power output for a typical triple-junction photovoltaic cell, with around one-third of the increase arising from enhanced cell efficiency due to improved spectral matching. Our estimates imply that these increases in power and cell efficiency would have been realised over many parts of China during the lockdown period. This study thus demonstrates how a cleaner atmosphere may enable more efficient large scale solar energy generation. We conclude by setting our results in the context of future climate change mitigation and air pollution policies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:57:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bf13acdb8da644878090150667c4aa8d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:57:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-bf13acdb8da644878090150667c4aa8d2023-08-09T14:52:41ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262021-01-0116202402910.1088/1748-9326/abd42fCOVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over ChinaKelvin Tsz Hei Choi0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5796-5263Helen Brindley1Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; National Centre for Earth Observation, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, United KingdomSpace and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom; National Centre for Earth Observation, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, United KingdomWe exploit changes in air quality seen during the COVID-19 lockdown over China to show how a cleaner atmosphere has notable co-benefits for solar concentrator photovoltaic energy generation. We use satellite observations and analyses of the atmospheric state to simulate surface broadband and spectrally resolved direct normal irradiance (DNI). Over Wuhan, the first city placed under lockdown, we show how the atmospheric changes not only lead to a 19.8% increase in broadband DNI but also induce a significant blue-shift in the DNI spectrum. Feeding these changes into a solar cell simulator results in a 29.7% increase in the power output for a typical triple-junction photovoltaic cell, with around one-third of the increase arising from enhanced cell efficiency due to improved spectral matching. Our estimates imply that these increases in power and cell efficiency would have been realised over many parts of China during the lockdown period. This study thus demonstrates how a cleaner atmosphere may enable more efficient large scale solar energy generation. We conclude by setting our results in the context of future climate change mitigation and air pollution policies.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd42fearth observationCOVID-19 lockdownair qualitynitrogen dioxideaerosolsolar energy |
| spellingShingle | Kelvin Tsz Hei Choi Helen Brindley COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China Environmental Research Letters earth observation COVID-19 lockdown air quality nitrogen dioxide aerosol solar energy |
| title | COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China |
| title_full | COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China |
| title_short | COVID-19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over China |
| title_sort | covid 19 lockdown air quality change implications for solar energy generation over china |
| topic | earth observation COVID-19 lockdown air quality nitrogen dioxide aerosol solar energy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abd42f |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kelvintszheichoi covid19lockdownairqualitychangeimplicationsforsolarenergygenerationoverchina AT helenbrindley covid19lockdownairqualitychangeimplicationsforsolarenergygenerationoverchina |