Wind and solar farms could bring regular rainfall in the Sahara Desert | MNN

Large-scale wind farms and solar farms not only have the power to provide the world with a huge amount of energy, but they also have the power to change large-scale climates, potentially for the better . A new climate modeling study has shown that wind and solar power plants in the Sahara Desert could significantly increase rainfall in the region and increase vegetation, reports Phys.org.

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world and it is growing. It covers a massive band of North Africa, making much of the land uninhabitable. Any increase in precipitation would be a good thing, the authors of the study said.

The study is among the first to model the climatic effects of wind and solar installations while taking into account the effects on vegetation growth.

"Previous modeling studies have shown that large wind and solar farms can produce significant climate change across the continent," said lead author Yan Li.

There are few places on Earth more ideal for large scale wind and solar installations than the Sahara Desert. On the one hand, there is a lot of sun and a lot of wind generated on the sandy plains. It is also close to Europe and the Middle East, which have growing energy needs. In addition, wind and solar installations covering about 9 million kilometers of this arid land could provide about 3 terawatts and 79 terawatts of electricity respectively. This would make it possible to respond several times to the global energy demand.

"In 2017, global energy demand was only 18 terawatts, which of course represents a lot more energy than is currently needed in the world," Li said.

This study used these projections to model the impact of these large facilities on the climate and vegetation of the region. It has been found that temperatures would rise – which might seem exhausting in the desert – but it would also increase moisture levels and double the amount of rainfall. This is a fair compromise, as this parched landscape could become significantly green with even modest increases in rainfall.

"We have found that large-scale installation of solar and wind power plants can generate more rainfall and promote vegetation growth in these areas," said Eugenia Kalnay, co-author of the study. "The increase in rainfall is a consequence of the complex land-atmosphere interactions that occur because solar panels and wind turbines create rougher and darker surfaces."

So it's a win-win. Massive amounts of clean energy, plus a livable landscape (which means more viable agricultural and economic development), as well as more greenery over a vast area that could become an important carbon sink.

It is remarkable to think that instead of burning fossil fuels and creating a catastrophic climate change, which involves increased desertification, we could instead use clean energy to produce positive climate change and transform the climate. largest desert in the world in a habitable oasis.

Wind and solar farms could bring regular rain in the Sahara Desert

The largest desert in the world could be transformed into a more welcoming place thanks to clean energy.