The world's largest deserts as an energy source
The global hunger for cheap energy and the demand for more renewable energies has prompted people to invest increasingly in solar energy. Areas with the highest solar irradiation are particularly popular, where the so called Concentrated Solar Power can be used.
It does not have to be an expert to realize that in the desert there is twice as much solar radiation as in Europe.
Why are there almost no solar power plants in desert areas where solar radiation is abundant?
Picture source: NASA, Ben Figgis, Pawan Singh / The National, Reuters/Stringer, First Solar, Ricardo Arduengo AFP
Total damage after a sandstorm
Dust intensity around the world
The measurement results (10) in this area of the Photovoltaik-Institute Berlin lead to the following conclusion: "A sandstorm sweeping across a PV power plant may cause all the modules to become completely covered with sand, leading to a 100 percent loss in yield."
