Building And Interiors
  • Home
  • Latest Stories
  • Products
    • Product Categories
    • Products List
    • Products by Brand
  • Events
  • Expert Talk
  • Business Opportunities
  • Videos
    • Video Gallery
    • Video Categories
  • Competitions & Awards
Login
  • Advertise With Us
  • Subscribe Newsletter
  • Post Bulk Enquiries
  • Contact Us
  • Submit
    • Submit Story
    • Submit Product
    • Submit Event
    • Submit Business Opportunity
    • Submit Video
    • Submit Competition/Award
  • Log In
Building And Interiors
Ads
  • Duravit Top Banner 1
  • Building And Interiors
  • stiebel-eltron head banner - 2
  • canadian wood banner top 4
  • Building And Interiors
Ads
  • Canadian wood mobile top banner
  • Building And Interiors
  • Hafele Appliances 480 X 270 px
  • Duravit - mobile top banner 1
  • stiebel-eltron mobile head banner 4
  • Home
  • Latest Stories
  • Products
    • Product Categories
    • Products List
    • Products by Brand
  • Events
  • Expert Talk
  • Business Opportunities
  • Videos
    • Video Gallery
    • Video Categories
  • Competitions & Awards
Highlights
Panasonic Life Solutions India Opens It’s Exclusive Brand Outlet in Jaipur
Top10 Shifts That Will Define The Future Of Building Materials Industry In India
Luminale Amazes Light+Building 2020 Audience – This Time Digitally
Lighting, Furniture, Bathrooms And Kitchens: The 2021 Edition Of Salone del Mobile Will Have All It’s Sub-Editions At One Place
Design Plus Competition Winning Entries To Be On Display At Light+Building 2020 In Frankfurt Next Month

Subscribe to our newsletter!

    • Submit Story
    • Submit Product
    • Submit Business Opportunity
    • Submit Event
    • Submit Video
    • Submit Competition/Award
MIT-Covid-Solar-01_0
Solar

MIT researchers observed increased solar power output during Covid-19 shutdown

by BuildingandInteriors August 7, 2020
by BuildingandInteriors August 7, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrRedditWhatsappEmail
Tags: COVID-19innovationMITphotovoltaicPollutionResearchsolar panelsolar power

 

MIT-Covid-solar power output

(Image Source:  MIT News)

 

The only good news people have been hearing in the post Covid-19 world, is the reduction in pollution levels. This is obviously due to the lockdown effect worldwide. The pollution problem has been much more serious in cities like Delhi, where pollutions levels were touching alarming levels. So Delhi residents can heave a sigh of relief at least temporarily and enjoy fresh air. There is yet another observation that has been made by researchers at MIT. Researchers have successfully demonstrated that these clearer skies had a measureable impact on the output from solar photovoltaic panels, which lead to a more than 8 percent increase in the solar power output from installations in Delhi.

 

While it caught everyone in the community by surprise as this kind of enhanced solar power output was completely unexpected. The researchers say this is the first study to demonstrate and quantify the impact of the reduced air pollution on solar output. They feel that this effect should also apply to other solar panel installations worldwide. But in real world this would be difficult to measure because of the natural variations in the solar power output caused by multiple factors like clouds, dust on panels etc.

 

This extraordinary phenomenon that was observed by researchers made it possible to capture data from an unplanned natural experiment.

 

The study was an extension of previous research the team has been conducting in Delhi for several years. The impetus for the work came after an unusual weather pattern in 2013 swept a concentrated plume of smoke from forest fires in Indonesia across a vast swath of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, where Peters (the researcher), who had just arrived in the region, found “it was so bad that you couldn’t see the buildings on the other side of the street.”

 

Since he was already doing research on solar photovoltaics, Peters decided to investigate what effects the air pollution was having on solar panel output. The team had good long-term data on both solar panel output and solar insolation, gathered at the same time by monitoring stations set up adjacent to the solar installations. They saw that during the 18-day-long haze event, the performance of some types of solar panels decreased, while others stayed the same or increased slightly. That distinction proved useful in teasing apart the effects of pollution from other variables that could be at play, such as weather conditions.

 

Peters later found out that the U.S. Embassy in Delhi has been collecting hourly data regarding the actual measurements of fine particulate air pollution (particles less than 2.5 micrometers in size), since many years. Now this data could act as a base for evaluating the actual effects of air pollution on solar panel output. The researchers compared the air pollution data from the embassy with meteorological data on cloudiness and the solar irradiation data from the sensors. They found out that the solar panel output reduced by about 10 percent due to air pollution in Delhi. Now this otherwise may not seem much but it has a strong negative impact on the financial projections of the installed solar facilities. Also these deviations are much larger than the typical variations one sees within a year or from year to year.

 

To see how the Covid-19 shutdowns had affected the situation, they were able to use the mathematical tools they had developed, along with the embassy’s ongoing data collection, to see the impact of reductions in travel and factory operations. They compared the data from before and after India went into mandatory lockdown on March 24, and also compared this with data from the previous three years.

 

Pollution levels were down by about 50 percent after the shutdown, they found. As a result, the total output from the solar panels was increased by 8.3 percent in late March, and by 5.9 percent in April, they calculated.

 

Again, an 8 percent increase in output might not sound like much but in such businesses profit margins are very narrow. If a solar company was expecting to get a 2 percent profit margin out of their expected 100 percent panel output, and suddenly they are getting 108 percent output, that means their margin has increased fivefold, from 2 percent to 10 percent.

 

These findings provide real data that can give us an idea about the world with significantly reduced air pollution. Also it helps us understand the fact that the more we use solar power, the less we will be dependent on pollution causing fossil fuels, in turn making those solar panels more efficient all the time.

 

Putting solar panels on one’s house, he says, “is helping not only yourself, not only putting money in your pocket, but it’s also helping everybody else out there who already has solar panels installed, as well as everyone else who will install them over the next 20 years.” In a way, a rising tide of solar panels raises all solar panels.

 

But Peters cautions that not all such effects are real. For eg. Some news channels reported that the solar panel output had increased due to reduction in air pollution. But the fact is the air is quite clear in Europe and this observation is just a stray incident caused due to extremely nice sunny weather.

 


Share
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinTumblrRedditWhatsappEmail
previous post
Canadian Wood’s ‘Architecture With Wood In India’ Webinar Deliberated By Industry Stalwarts. The Country’s Best Woodwork Projects Were Also In Focus.
next post
Making sustainable roads by blending recycled waste materials – scrap tyres and building debris.

Related Stories

AVANCIS SKALA – The Avantgarde of Solar Facades

PLATEAU – Innovative Outdoor Furniture Series That Encourage...

DuPont Tedlar PVF film: Long-lasting protection for architectural...

Research Studies To Reduce Solar Panel Costs: A...

Now Researchers Develop Anti-Solar Panels That Can Generate...

Transparent solar panels to soon replace conventional windows.

Researchers take cue from nature to develop solar...

The Largest Marketplace For The Lighting Industry –...

Fenestration BAU China 2019 Is Set To Charm...

The Canton Fair 2019 Autumn Edition Starts Tomorrow

Follow Us

Linkedin Instagram Twitter Facebook Pinterest Tumblr

Latest Stories

  • Epoxy Resin – And we thought we knew everything about it!

    January 15, 2021
  • Renovating Your Commercial Space? Replace Your Tiles Flooring In No Time!

    January 13, 2021
  • Adhesives or Sealants: How to choose the right product for a specific job? (+Demo videos)

    January 11, 2021
  • Finalizing new ceiling designs now made easy (+Case Studies & Checklist)

    January 9, 2021
  • Grouting for buildings: All you need to know! (+demo videos)

    January 8, 2021
Ads
Canadian wood side banner 3
Ads
JAL side banner 2
Ads
  • schell desktop side ad
  • Building And Interiors
Ads
Canadian wood mobile side ad
Ads
JAL mobile ad
Ads
  • Building And Interiors
  • schell mobile ad

Featured Products

SCHELL Kitchen Faucet GRANDIS E

Hafele Gravity Storage Foot Operated Bed Fittings | Restricted Contact Bed Systems

Stiebel Eltron Instant Water Heater

GeeKen Push-Pull Type Compactor

Hafele Fold 50 EF T Sliding Folding System for Wooden Doors

Hafele Kraby Friction Lift-up System by ItalianaFerramenta

RAK Compact Semi Recessed Wash basin

Duravit D.1 2-Hole Electronic Basin Mixer M With Plug-In Power Supply

Upcoming Events

  • BAU 2021

    BAU 2021 ONLINE, Munich

    January 13, 2021 - January 15, 2021
  • KyivBuild 2021 Ukraine logo

    KyivBuild 2021, Ukraine

    January 27, 2021 @ 10:00 am - January 29, 2021 @ 6:00 pm UTC+5.5
  • Interzum Bogota 2021

    Interzum Bogota 2021

    February 2, 2021 - February 5, 2021
  • aquatherm 2021 moscow

    Aquatherm 2021, Moscow

    February 2, 2021 @ 10:00 am - February 5, 2021 @ 7:00 pm UTC+5.5

View All  

Ads
Building And Interiors
Ads
  • Building And Interiors
  • Building And Interiors
Ads
Building And Interiors
Ads
  • Building And Interiors
  • Building And Interiors

Expert Talk

  • All Elements Of Modular Kitchens Are Discussed In Detail In My New...

    November 20, 2020
  • durlum metal ceiling and our other solutions are high on aesthetics and functionality: Mr.Deependra Singh

    November 8, 2020
  • Today, JAL Is A Complete Bathroom Solutions Brand: Mr.Vivek Kapoor

    October 24, 2020
  • Mixx Windows Offers 100% European Fenestration And Cladding Solutions: Mr.Abhinav Gaind

    October 21, 2020
  • uPVC Windows And Doors Offer Many Advantages Over Other Materials: Mr.Manish Bansal

    October 15, 2020

Business Opportunities

  • raumplus India is looking for partners

    December 11, 2020
  • Well-known German bathrooms brand is looking for premium bathroom dealers across India

    December 6, 2020
  • Stiebel Eltron – the German HVAC specialist is appointing distributors across India

    November 21, 2020
  • German plumbing specialist needs distributors & dealers across India

    November 2, 2020
  • Leading bathrooms brand Is looking for trade partners across India

    October 30, 2020

Video Gallery

How to do Epoxy Floors ? A step by step guide
How to do Epoxy Floors ? A step by step guide
Tiling Adhesives or Sand Cement Mix: Which one is better?
Tiling Adhesives or Sand Cement Mix: Which one is better?
Grout Workshop: All about grouting on floor tiles
Grout Workshop: All about grouting on floor tiles

Us On Instagram

Subscribe to our newsletter!

  • Linkedin
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

@2020 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Via Vitae Solutions

Building And Interiors
  • Home
  • Latest Stories
  • Products
    • Product Categories
    • Products List
    • Products by Brand
  • Events
  • Expert Talk
  • Business Opportunities
  • Videos
    • Video Gallery
    • Video Categories
  • Competitions & Awards
By continuing to use this website you agree to the use of cookies or similar technologies to gauge audience usage and to offer you social networking features, related content and customised advertising.
Learn more about cookies OK, I agree