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Comment by DoctorOetker

6 hours ago

for solar panels that are say 25% efficient, that means 75% of optical energy is turned into heat, whereas the sand had a relatively high albedo, its going to significantly heat up the local environment!

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DoctorOetker

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SergeAx  4 hours ago

http://english.scio.gov.cn/m/chinavoices/2025-10/23/content_...

In your opinion, how credible is this story?

  • DoctorOetker  1 hour ago

    OK I read the story (it was shorten than expected).

    So simplistically put there are 3 periods:

    1) the grassy period before overgrazing, lot of wind

    2) the overgrazed period, loss of moisture retained by plants and loss of root systems, lot of wind results in soil run-away erosion without sufficient root systems

    3) the solar PV period: at higher heights still lots of wind, but the installation of the panels unexpectedly allowed the grass to regrow, because wind erosion is halted.

    The PV panels actually increase the local heating, but that doesn't need to directly equate to temperature: the wind just carried away the heat so it's someone else's problem :). Also the return of soil moisture thanks to the plants means a return of a sensible heat buffer, so the high temperature in the overgrazed period before solar panel introduction may not actually be an average temperature increase, but an increase in peak temperature during the summer. Imagine problematic summer temperatures, everybody would be talking about the increased temperature, when they are really just experiencing the loss of a heat buffer.

    At least thats my impression from the story.