Photovoltaic increases UHI – The Myth

Contribution towards Future

Photovoltaic increases UHI – The Myth A major effect of urbanization on local weather is something called an Urban Heat Island (UHI). A health crisis during a heat wave might occur because cities are warmer than its surrounding rural countryside, like in 2003 in Paris when 15,000 premature deaths occurred (Fouillet et al.,2006) or in 2010 when 11,000 premature deaths occurred (Moscow, 2010) (Porfiriev, 2014). It's also important to keep in mind that as the climate warms, the impacts of urban heat islands will only get worse (Lemonsu et al., 2012). Multiple techniques are being investigated as a result to help minimize the UHI throughout the summer months. It was found that various studies have examined measures to reduce UHI, including modifications in green space, tree cover and albedo as well as pavement surfaces, vegetation and type of construction and materials (Gago et al, 2013). Many innovative cool materials solutions have been studied by Santamouris, Synnefa & Karlessi (2011) for reducing the UHI. In order to reflect more energy back to the atmosphere (high albedo, high emissivity), these materials could be used on roofs. They could also be used to delay the transmission of heat into buildings (phase change materials).

As a result, it's critical to determine whether the two main goals of combating global climate change while also reducing urban heat island effects are mutually compatible. Adding solar panels to a roof impacts the quality of the surface, which can have an impact on how much energy is transferred to the atmosphere and, in effect, how much UHI results. The purpose of this research is to assess the local climate, particularly the UHI, influence of solar panels, which are known to be excellent for global warming mitigation.

As stated by Elliott (2000): "With issues about Changing Climate increasing, the swift development of renewable technologies looks highly significant," renewable energy can be seen as a vital step forward into sustainable energy development, reduction of fossil fuel use, and mitigation of climate change. But, a new study by Nugent and Sovacool (2014) found that renewable energy sources are not currently CO2 emitters when considering at their entire life cycle. Considering this, their per-unit-of-energy greenhouse gas rate is lower than that of fossil fuel-based energy sources and slightly higher than that of nuclear power. In addition, they "discover best practices in wind and solar design and implementation that might better guide the energy sector's climate change mitigation efforts." Renewable energy implementation demands a paradigm shift towards distributed power generation and local production systems, as Elliott (2000) points out in his book of the same title. Even if the technology for these systems already exists, social and institutional reforms are required for their deployment while still needing improvements and further research (Gross, Leach & Bauen, 2003). In order to accelerate the development of renewable energy, more funding, incentive strategies, and regulatory duties for energy providers may be required. According to Lund (2007), Denmark can make the switch to 100 percent renewable energy production. To summaries, Sovacool & Lakshmi Ratan (2012) found nine regulatory, social, and market elements that either encourage or hinder the growth of wind power and solar energy. These findings help explain why renewables is increasing rapidly in Australia and Denmark when compared to United States of America and India.