Hello there, solar enthusiasts! Today, I wanted to delve into a topic that’s extremely relevant to those of us interested in solar power – weather patterns and their impact on solar irradiance. For those of you who are new here, solar irradiance is essentially the power we receive from the sun’s energy – the chief factor that fuels our solar panels for your home.
Last month, we saw a series of intense wildfires in Canada and the Western US. These catastrophic events not only caused immense damage to life and property but also had a significant impact on solar irradiance across North America. It’s quite a reminder of how interconnected everything is – a change in one part of the system can reverberate, affecting solar companies far and wide.
The smoke from these fires had a major role to play, scattering and absorbing radiation in the atmosphere. This effectively reduced solar generation even on cloudless days, making the work of any solar company tougher. Peak ‘aerosol optical depth’, which measures the impact of aerosols on irradiance, revealed that smoke affected the entire continent. In regions close to the fires like some parts of Canada, irradiance dipped by up to 20% – that’s a significant decline when you consider the capability of a solar array for home use.
It wasn’t just the fires that caused trouble though. Unstable atmospheric conditions due to upper-atmosphere dipole and Hurricane Beryl also impacted irradiance levels. The East Coast experienced unstable, cloudy conditions, decreasing irradiance especially in the Carolinas, Virginia, and portions of New England. On the other hand, the West Coast benefited from clear and stable conditions, with irradiance levels in parts of British Columbia, Washington State, California, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Western Texas soaring 10-20% above long-term averages.
These findings underscore the importance of tracking weather patterns for solar companies. It’s also an important consideration for homeowners who operate solar panels for their home. Having an understanding of how weather patterns can affect irradiance levels can help in selecting the optimal location for your solar array for home use, and in making accurate yield predictions.
So, the next time someone asks the reason behind your fascination with weather patterns and their relation to solar power, you can make them appreciate the intricate relationship between our environment and solar energy. Weather may be unpredictable, although our commitment to understanding its impact on solar power shouldn’t be.
Stay sunny, solar friends! I’ll catch you in the next post.
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/08/02/aerosols-from-wildfires-slash-north-american-solar-production/
