Cost of Air Pollution to Solar Energy Generation

Abstract

India intends to install 100 GW of solar energy by 2022.  However, assessments of renewable energy resources do not adequately take into account the loss of solar energy caused by environmental variables such as air pollution. Here, we demonstrate that between 2001 and 2018, air pollution cost India 29 percent of its usable worldwide horizontal irradiance potential. Air pollution is thought to cause an average output loss of 12%, 26%, 33%, and 41% for the horizontal, fixed tilt, single axis, and dual axis trackers, respectively. This equals to yearly loss of 245 to 835 million US Dollars. The effective execution of the National Clean Air Program of India, coupled with total reduction of local emissions, would allow India to produce additional of 6 to 16 Terawatt Hours of energy per year from the existing infrastructure in 2018. This equates to a yearly economic gain of 325 to 845 million US Dollars, which is equal to the expenditures of executing these social initiatives. This reduction in air pollution will speed up India's progress toward attaining the objective of solar power generation with fewer installations.