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Vulnerability of solar energy infrastructure and output to climate change

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Abstract

This paper reviews the potential vulnerability of solar energy systems to future extreme event risks as a consequence of climate change. We describe the three main technologies likely to be used to harness sunlight—thermal heating, photovoltaic (PV), and concentrating solar power (CSP)—and identify critical climate vulnerabilities for each one. We then compare these vulnerabilities with assessments of future changes in mean conditions and extreme event risk levels. We do not identify any vulnerabilities severe enough to halt development of any of the technologies mentioned, although we do find a potential value in exploring options for making PV cells more heat-resilient and for improving the design of cooling systems for CSP.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of the organizers of a conference on energy system vulnerability to climate change, held in June 2010 at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), in Trieste, Italy, and three anonymous reviewers. Funding came from the ICTP, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the RESPONSES project of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria

    Anthony Patt, Stefan Pfenninger & Johan Lilliestam

  2. ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Anthony Patt

  3. Imperial College London, London, UK

    Stefan Pfenninger

  4. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany

    Johan Lilliestam

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  1. Anthony Patt
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  2. Stefan Pfenninger
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Correspondence to Anthony Patt.

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This article is part of the Special Issue on “Climate Change, Extremes, and Energy Systems”.

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Patt, A., Pfenninger, S. & Lilliestam, J. Vulnerability of solar energy infrastructure and output to climate change. Climatic Change 121, 93–102 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0887-0

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