# How Wildfires Impact Solar Energy Generation: What You Need to Know
When I think about renewable energy opportunities like solar, I can’t ignore the growing uncertainty that climate change introduces into the equation. Wildfires are one of the most tangible effects of a changing environment, and they’re having unexpected impacts on solar energy. Recently, innovative research revealed how wildfire smoke is affecting solar resource availability, specifically direct normal irradiance (DNI) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI). If you’re someone exploring solar panels for your home or researching the performance of solar arrays in challenging conditions, this post will shed light on these findings and what they mean for the solar industry.
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### Understanding Solar Irradiance and Its Importance
Solar energy depends on two core measurements of solar irradiance: direct normal irradiance (DNI) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI). Concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP) systems rely extensively on DNI, as it measures the direct sunlight beaming down from the sky. Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels—like the ones you might use in a solar panel array for your home—are more dependent on GHI, which accounts for sunlight diffused by clouds, smoke, and other particulate matter.
Both DNI
Original Article: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2025/01/10/the-impact-of-wildfires-on-pv-power-generation/
