Dust storms a serious issue for Cyprus solar power

Cyprus is experiencing increasingly frequent and intense dust episodes and, against this backdrop, a new scientific study has quantified their direct impact on solar energy production.

The study found that severe dust events can reduce the sunlight reaching photovoltaic (PV) systems, and hence lower electricity production, by more than 20 per cent on otherwise clear-sky days.

It was conducted by researchers at the Climate and Atmosphere Research Center (CARE-C) of the Cyprus Institute...