'Maybe it’s not science fiction': Solar panels are causing rainwater to fall in one of the driest places on Earth

• Dark solar panels turn desert heat into rain clouds, not just electricity
• A 20 square kilometer solar farm produces more rain than a year of cloud seeding
• The Persian Gulf's moist winds are what the desert solar needs to make rain

In the United Arab Emirates, where water is more valuable than oil, new research suggests large solar farms could trigger their own rainstorms.

A modelling study led by climate scientist Oliver Branch at the University of Hohenheim found dark solar panels absorb more heat than the surrounding reflective desert sand.

This temperature difference drives updrafts that can lead to rain, potentially providing water for tens of thousands of people.

How dark solar panels create their own weather

The researchers modeled solar panels as nearly black surfaces that absorb 95% of incoming sunlight.

When solar farms exceeded 15 square kilometers, the increased heat contrasted sharply with the reflective sand around them, increasing the updrafts that drive cloud formation, but it needs a source of atmospheric moisture.

However, the model showed that moist, high-altitude winds from the Persian Gulf would suffice.

A 20 square kilometer solar field would increase rainfall by nearly 600,000 cubic meters under the right conditions, equivalent to 1cm of rain falling across an area the size of Manhattan.

If such rainstorms occurred ten times in one summer, they would provide enough water for more than 30,000 people for a year.

“Some solar farms are getting up to the right size right now… Maybe it’s not science fiction that we can produce this effect,” said Branch.

One limitation is that the simulated solar panels were darker than most manufacturers currently make, as some modern solar panels are designed to be reflective to cool their surroundings, which would reduce the rainmaking effect.

Zhengyao Lu, a climate scientist at Lund University, called the new work "very stimulating" but noted this concern.

Branch is hopeful that the idea could be tested in the real world, noting that solar farms coming online in China are nearly large enough.

He suggests planting dark, drought-tolerant crops such as jojoba shrubs between panel rows to enhance the effect.

The UAE funded Branch's modeling research, but the country remains committed to its cloud seeding program, carrying out approximately 300 missions each year.

This implies that local authorities are not yet convinced that solar-induced rainfall is a practical alternative.

According to Branch and his team, this model could work in other arid regions, including Namibia and Mexico's Baja Peninsula.

If future research validates these findings, the rainmaking potential of solar farms could provide an unexpected incentive for expanding renewable energy in the world's driest regions.

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