Photovoltaic Surfaces to Reverse Global Warming

TL;DR

This paper explores innovative photovoltaic surface designs capable of not only generating electricity but also reflecting radiation, cooling, and emitting IR to actively reverse Earth's radiative imbalance and combat global warming.

Contribution

It introduces a novel PV surface design that combines energy generation with radiative cooling and IR emission to potentially reverse global warming effects.

Findings

PV surfaces can generate 650 W/m² through combined processes.

10 TW of PV installed can reverse global warming.

Design considerations include high efficiency at operating temperatures and IR emission.

Abstract

Climate changes and its many associated impacts are one of the most critical global challenges. Photovoltaics has been instrumental in mitigation of CO$_2$ through the generation of electricity. However, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 $^\circ$C increasingly requires additional approaches. The paper presents how PV surfaces can be designed to reverse the Earth's radiative imbalance from increased greenhouse gasses that lead to higher global temperatures. The new PV surface generate electricity, reflect sub-band gap radiation, minimize their temperature, generate thermal radiation and emit additional IR through the atmospheric, with these processes totaling 650 Wm$^{-2}$. This is realized by: (1) PV system efficiency at operating temperature $>$ 20 \% and sub-band gap reflection of 150 Wm$^{-2}$ for a total of 350 Wm$^{-2}$ (2) Thermally emitted radiation (radiative cooling) of 150 Wm$^{-2}$; and (3) Active IR emission through an atmospheric window at 1.5 $\mu$ of 150 Wm$^{-2}$. With such PV surfaces, we show that 10 TW of installed PV can reverse global warming. Using PV to balance global temperatures introduces additional considerations for PV, focusing on high efficiency, particularly high efficiency at operating temperatures, radiative cooling, and new processes for 1.5 $\mu$ emission. We find that depending on their design, PV panels can increase or decrease global temperatures.