Overview
- An Oxford–UCL analysis in Nature Sustainability finds that airborne particles cut global solar output by 5.8% in 2023, or about 111 terawatt-hours, by blocking and scattering sunlight.
- In China, photovoltaic generation fell 7.7% due to aerosols, and about 30% of that loss was traced to coal-fired power plants.
- The impact is uneven, with the United States seeing roughly a 3% drop because much of its solar fleet sits far from clusters of coal plants.
- Placing solar farms beside coal stations to tap existing grid lines carries a hidden cost because local haze reduces the panels’ yield.
- Data show recent retirements of heavy-polluting coal units and the use of cleaner plants in China have begun to lessen aerosol-related losses.