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SOLAR ENERGY

Brighten the dark skies

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An unwelcome effect of rapid industrialization in China over the past 60 years has been the rise in air pollution. Researchers now estimate how the solar dimming caused by pollution reduced the potential for solar energy generation in China. However, reduction of pollution to 1960s levels can increase this potential significantly.

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Fig. 1: Interaction between atmospheric aerosols and solar radiation.
Fig. 2: Levelized cost of electricity plotted as a function of capacity factor and system capacity cost.

References

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Correspondence to Ned Ekins-Daukes.

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Ekins-Daukes, N., Kay, M. Brighten the dark skies. Nat Energy 4, 633–634 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0440-0

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