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A study released on May 15, 2026, and reported by Solar Power World Online, has found that pollution from coal-fired power plants is reducing the energy output of solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. The research, led by the University of Oxford and University College London (UCL), examined more than 140,000 solar PV installations worldwide using satellite data. Combining this with atmospheric air pollution data, the researchers calculated that aerosols—tiny suspended particles—reduced global solar electricity output by 5.8% in 2023, equating to approximately 111 TWh of lost energy, or the output of about 18 medium-sized coal-fired power plants.
Between 2017 and 2023, new PV installations added an average of 246.6 TWh of electricity annually, while aerosol-related losses from existing systems reached 74.0 TWh per year—nearly one-third of the gains from new PV capacity. Rui Song, the study’s lead author from Oxford’s Department of Physics and UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, noted that as coal and solar expand in parallel, emissions alter the radiation environment, directly undermining solar performance.
The researchers traced the origins of these aerosol-related losses and identified coal-fired power generation as a major contributor. This effect is particularly evident in China, where solar and coal capacity have expanded together and are often co-located. Regions with high coal capacity aligned closely with areas experiencing the greatest solar PV losses. However, the study also found that China’s aerosol-related losses declined by 0.96 TWh annually between 2013 and 2023.
In the United States, the study found that solar output losses due to coal pollution were smaller, as coal and solar plants are not often located near one another. Over the 2013-2023 period, U.S. solar output was cut by 3.1% overall, but it is decreasing by 1.5% annually due to aerosol-related pollutants. The study stated that the U.S. case shows that the aerosol-induced barrier is not inherent to solar power but is a direct consequence of the operation of nearby coal-fired plants, a barrier that would be removed if those plants were phased out.
Song added that air pollution not only blocks sunlight but also changes clouds, potentially reducing solar power further, meaning the real impact may be larger than measured. To conduct the analysis, the researchers combined satellite imagery and machine learning to identify and map over 140,000 solar installations, integrating these with atmospheric observations and a solar energy model to estimate electricity generation and losses due to air pollution.
Chenchen Huang, a co-author from the University of Bath, warned that overlooking pollution-induced solar energy losses can lead to a systematic overestimation of renewable energy output by governments and businesses. The study recommends that policies account for this hidden drag and shift fossil-fuel subsidies away from coal.
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