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Feng Hao 20.10.2017     0 comments China is losing the equivalent of 11 gigawatts of solar power from polluted air, reports  Feng Hao As China reduces air pollution, it can expect its solar farms to become more efficient (Image:  Jiri  Rezac ) China is investing big in solar PV but  new research  from Duke University suggests that particulate matter in air pollution is slashing panel efficiency by as much as 17%. Solar radiation can be blocked, absorbed or scattered by particulate matter in the atmosphere – a phenomenon known as solar dimming. This reduces the intensity of sunlight reaching solar panels, resulting in less power being generated. This is a major issue in China because air pollution is notoriously bad and investment in solar PV is being promoted as a way to fix it. In 2016, China added 34 gigawatts of solar panels, more than twice as much as the US and about half of the new solar capacity installed worldwide that year. However, China is losing as mu