Old MacDonald had a….. solar panel farm?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
We’ve discovered that solar farms cool local weather. Why?
Enter Jiaju Guo and team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. They analyzed satellite observations of land conditions, temperature, and vegetation to uncover the cause.
Normally, sunlight heats the ground. But solar panels convert some sunlight into electricity and send it to the power grid. However, solar farms also reduce vegetation, which can alter evaporation. Altogether, these factors shape local temperature and moisture conditions!
So, future designs may need to balance clean energy production with ecosystem health.
Turns out, even solar panels can have a little side hustle!
Guo, J., Hou, W., Wang, X., Wu, S. & Zhang, L. Global photovoltaic cool island effect modulated by dual pathways of evapotranspiration suppression and photovoltaic conversion. Environ Sci Technol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c17772