Cool the planet, block the sunlight.

[Woodznutz]

Another idea is reflective 'whitening' surfaces on the land. Lightening asphalt road paving is already being researched. The biggest opportunity is in agriculture; developing crop plants that have light colored flowers.

Of course, the greatest opportunity is in reducing individual carbon footprints. However, as this would negatively affect the economy it's not realistic.

 

[Woodznutz]

Block the sunlight with photovoltaic panels and replace energy sources that contribute to global warming, waste and pollution.

I believe that is being done, on a huge scale. However, it's not keeping up with new demand for electricity.

solar farm pictures - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

 

[jbrownson0831]

It's easier and cheaper to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the earth than to reduce greenhouse gases. We can easily put light and heat reflecting materials into the upper atmosphere. This will also have the effect of reducing the amount of co2 in the air as cooler temps reduce the natural production of co2.

Suuure.....lets make it cooler in the winter okay???

 

[Blues Man]

Block the sunlight with photovoltaic panels and replace energy sources that contribute to global warming, waste and pollution.

Do you really want to live in perpetual twilight?

What will blocking sunlight do to plant life and food crops?

It's just a dumb idea

 

[Woodznutz]

Suuure.....lets make it cooler in the winter okay???

We do need more snow.

 

[Woodznutz]

Do you really want to live in perpetual twilight?

What will blocking sunlight do to plant life and food crops?

It's just a dumb idea

Grass still grows in those solar farms. We produce way too much food as it is. Agriculture is a major contributor to climate change.

 

[ReinyDays]

We'll just have to figure that out. I suggest special equipment on commercial airplanes, or military aircraft that fly at the right altitude and distance. Chaff would be released at designated points.

I did already ... 1/100th of an inch requires 20 cubic miles of material ... 1/1,000th of an inch would require 2 cubic miles of material ... how many 747-fulls does it take to transport 2 cubic miles of material? ...

 

[Crick]

I believe that is being done, on a huge scale. However, it's not keeping up with new demand for electricity.

solar farm pictures - Bing

Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.

www.bing.com

Solar panels placed just above the ground are not going to cool the planet. They are far more absorptive than even bare soil much less anything green. And even were they to turn a large fraction of their insolation into electricity, it will all eventually end up as heat. Thus, their failure to reflect light back into space will make things worse in that regard. Things will be much better than they would had their energy been generated from fossil fuels, but it is not perfect. Putting the panels in space and beaming the power down would be a better solution in that regard.

 

[Woodznutz]

I did already ... 1/100th of an inch requires 20 cubic miles of material ... 1/1,000th of an inch would require 2 cubic miles of material ... how many 747-fulls does it take to transport 2 cubic miles of material? ...

Along with other programs that much is not needed. I think it should be governed by how much suitable waste paper we accumulate that cannot be recycled. And that's a lot.

 

[Blues Man]

Grass still grows in those solar farms. We produce way too much food as it is.

I though your whole argument is to reduce the sunlight actually hitting the earth.

Putting solar panels on the surface will not reduce the surface temperature

 

[Woodznutz]

Solar panels placed just above the ground are not going to cool the planet. They are far more absorptive than even bare soil much less anything green. And even were they to turn a large fraction of their insolation into electricity, it will all eventually end up as heat. Thus, their failure to reflect light back into space will make things worse in that regard. Things will be better than they would had their energy been generated from fossil fuels, but it is not perfect. Putting the panels in space and beaming the power down would be a better solution in that regard.

A solution to that problem has been developed. A coating that reflects much of the heat falling on the panels back into space. This also increases the efficiency of the panels to produce electricity.

A simple coating cools solar panels by reflecting the heat into outer space

No kidding, Stanford researchers actually showed it's possible to cool solar panels by applying a special coating that reflects some of the heat back into space. The coating, called a photonic crystal cooling system, is transparent. This allows the light to reach the PV cells so these can...

www.zmescience.com

 

[CrusaderFrank]

It's easier and cheaper to reduce the amount of sunlight hitting the earth than to reduce greenhouse gases. We can easily put light and heat reflecting materials into the upper atmosphere. This will also have the effect of reducing the amount of co2 in the air as cooler temps reduce the natural production of co2.

^ Stupidest idea in human history

 

[Blues Man]

Study: Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will cause other global changes

Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will likely cause other global changes in climate: An MIT study has found that solar geoengineering proposals will weaken extratropical storm tracks in Northern and Southern hemispheres.

news.mit.edu

“There are multiple reasons to avoid doing this, and instead to favor reducing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.”

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Killed 60,000 in the early 1800's. Almost exterminated mankind a few tens of thousands of years ago.

80,000 years ago Toba shrunk the human population down to a few thousand individuals

 

[Blues Man]

A solution to that problem has been developed. A coating that reflects much of the heat falling on the panels back into space. This also increases the efficiency of the panels to produce electricity.

If the panels are on the ground the heat will be reflected back into the atmosphere not back into space where it will just add to the heat already trapped by GHGs

 

[Woodznutz]

Study: Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will cause other global changes

Reflecting sunlight to cool the planet will likely cause other global changes in climate: An MIT study has found that solar geoengineering proposals will weaken extratropical storm tracks in Northern and Southern hemispheres.

news.mit.edu

“There are multiple reasons to avoid doing this, and instead to favor reducing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases.”

But we aren't going to do that.

 

[Woodznutz]

If the panels are on the ground the heat will be reflected back into the atmosphere not back into space where it will just add to the heat already trapped by GHGs

Then we'd better reduce the GHG's up there.

 

[Blues Man]

Then we'd better reduce the GHG's up there.

Floating trash in the upper atmosphere won't do that

 

[Blues Man]

But we aren't going to do that.

It's the same principle.

You just want to do it with tons and tons of paper

 

[Woodznutz]

Floating trash in the upper atmosphere won't do that

The 'trash' comes down in a few weeks.

It doesn't look like the problem is going solve itself. We should do something on a grand scale, as people won't help much on an individual/collective scale.