Land-use related influence of aerosols on solar energy generation
Research project at a glance
Departments and Instituts
Period
01.04.2016 to 26.06.2020
Project Description
Global energy demand is increasing year by year. On the one hand, this is driven by population growth and, on the other, by the increasing demand for technical equipment, travel/transport and consumer goods.
Currently, over 85% of the world's primary energy demand is met by fossil fuels, which is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. To minimize long-term climate disasters and meet political climate goals, more and more sustainable methods of energy production must be used.
Solar energy offers a way to generate energy with minimal emissions. It relies on a resource (solar radiation) that is available worldwide and accessible to all people free of charge. Thus, solar energy offers potential to cover the energy demand especially for sunny regions and all classes of the population.
Objective
However, in order to estimate potentials, it is important to know local environmental influences on this form of energy in order to select a suitable, long-term and sustainable technology depending on the location. Future influences by land use change have to be considered as well, since these are foreseeable in many regions, driven by climatic changes and the expansion of agricultural areas, and strongly influence the composition of the atmosphere and thus the solar radiation. Which effects are foreseeable at different locations will be evaluated and analyzed on the basis of local case studies in the doctoral thesis.
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