Air pollution casts shadow on India's solar success

Gandhinagar, India

AIR pollution is diminishing India's capacity to harness power from the sun, scientists say, undermining billions being invested in renewables as the energy-hungry giant emerges as a solar superpower.

New research has found the smog and dust that sickens millions across India every year is also sapping solar power generation by more than 25 per cent, far beyond levels previously thought.

In the first study of its kind, US and Indian scientists measured how man-made particles floating in the air and deposited as grime on solar panels combined to seriously impair sunlight from converting to energy.

This interference causes steep drops in power generation, they found.

At present levels in India, it could amount to roughly 3,900 megawatts of lost energy - six times the capacity of its largest solar farm, a gigantic field of 2.5 mil…