Air conditioning is increasingly the go-to when heat waves strike. However, not only does this lead to more emissions, it also puts increasing strain on the electricity grid—even culminating in deadly blackouts. On paper, solar panels would seem like the perfect solution: clean energy derived directly from the sun and readily available in the hottest summer months. But just how beneficial can they be? A new CMCC-led study has quantified the benefits of rooftop solar in reducing grid electricity consumption in Italy, revealing that expanded solar adoption could offset roughly half of the climate-driven increase in grid electricity uptake for cooling.
The study published in Environmental Research: Energy analyzes how hotter summers will affect residential electricity demand and how much of this extra cooling need can be met by rooftop photovoltaics (PV). Using household-level electricity data, detailed solar adoption statistics and high-resolution climate projections, the authors estimate how much more power Italian households will draw for cooling and how much PV can offset.
"Rooftop solar panels offer a powerful solution: They can offset nearly half of increased electricity demand during peak cooling periods," says lead author Lucia Piazza. "This matters to the public because it shows how clean energy can simultaneously fight climate change and help people cope with its effects, while potentially lowering household energy costs."
