Desert photovoltaic solar panels

Can solar PV power plants be installed in deserts?

Desertification leaves less genuinely usable space for agriculture and living for most of mankind. Due to this development, thinking about efficient ways to use otherwise mostly deserted space comes into mind – one of which is the installation of solar PV power plants in deserts.

Do desert solar PV projects use water?

Depending on the PV module technology employed in a desert solar PV project, this often involves the usage of water which however is a costly commodity in such regions and challenging to transport over vast distances.

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 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 a PV power plant in the desert have a heating effect?

The PV power plant in the desert has a heating effect on the ambient temperature during the day, but the ambient temperature is not a distinct change at night (Broadbent et al., 2019). The characteristic of heating effect is not only presented daily change.