Industry Odisha Bureau, May 30: The invisible epidemic of air pollution in India is not only cutting life expectancy, worsening disease burdens across the country, impacting the economic productivity and environment, but also reportedly reducing India’s solar power generation potential.
A fresh research reportedly published in the ‘Nature Sustainability’ highlights, “Air pollution has been the cause behind cutting short the potential of India’s solar power generation by 9.6% in 2023, that is equivalent to around 15 Tera-Watt-hour (TWh), while the global loss owing to the same cause in 2023 was 5.8%.”
The study has also reportedly found out that “pollution-caused solar power generation loss was 74 TWh a year between 2017 and 2023.”
Reportedly, the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi have opined, “India’s solar power generation capacity could plummet by 600-800 gigawatt-hour (GWh) before mid-century (2041-2050) owing to air pollution and climate change.”
Notably, “solar power generation mostly depends on the weather and climatic condition for which climate change has a major impact on it. So far pollutants in the air are concerned, they absorb and scatter sunlight resulting in lessening the intensity of sun’s radiation from reaching the earth’s surface.”
Hence, the journal ‘Environmental Research Letters’ reportedly underlines “the need for combined climate and pollution mitigation efforts to boost India’s photovoltaic potential and secure a sustainable, resilient energy future.”
As per the reported findings of the researchers, “India receives nearly 300 clear-sky days every year, while the country is experiencing a persistent decline in the incoming solar radiation.”
The researchers have also reportedly found out that: “The national average potential for generating solar power could fall by 2-4% due to the reduced radiation and rising temperatures. Thus, temperatures of solar cells could be expected to rise by 1.5-2 degrees Celsius resulting in efficiency losses and about 18 days of efficiency de-rating.”
