Potential effect of SARS-CoV-2 on solar energy generation: Environmental dynamics and implications

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic is exerting a significant influence on global energy markets, and continuing to hinder the growth of core technology for the implementation of renewable forms of energy. With an unprecedented effect, the new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV2, has succeeded to seize the control of most cities of the world and led to their closure. The newly-emerged virus has also resulted in environmental changes. The present study was conducted to show the indirect positive effects of COVID-19 on the reduction of air pollution, particularly in countries such as Italy, France, and India. Our research proved the existence of meaningful relationships between probable actions, air quality improvement, and increased energy generation by photovoltaic systems (PVs). Newly-obtained data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite illustrate that some cities have experienced a 45 to 50% reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration compared to the same period in the past year. This reduction has provided two important and unexpected benefits, namely the reduction in environmental pollution (specifically air pollution) and, as a consequence, an increase in the amount of energy generated by PVs.