Coal pollution cuts solar output, China sees larger losses

coal pollution – A new study finds that airborne pollution tied to coal burning is substantially dimming solar power—reducing production in China by 7.7% overall and accounting for roughly 30% of aerosol-related losses. In the US, losses are smaller (3%), largely because coal

In places where photovoltaic panels are doing everything right. the sky still has a vote—and coal pollution is increasingly the one shaping the outcome.. Researchers report that aerosols in the air are cutting solar power production. with the biggest hit falling on China. where pollution tied to coal burning lines up closely with where the country generates electricity from coal.

The study focuses on aerosols because, while particles in the atmosphere can also help form clouds that further reduce sunlight reaching panels, quantifying that cloud contribution is harder. Even so, the researchers say aerosols already explain a significant portion of the losses they measured.

Some aerosols come from natural sources, such as dust kicked up by winds in desert regions. But despite how often deserts are described as sunny, the world has not built as much solar infrastructure in those areas as you might expect, so natural dust is not the main driver of the pattern they see.

Coal, however, stands out.. The researchers estimate that sulfur dioxide aerosols—produced mainly through coal burning—account for nearly half of the aerosol burden analyzed in their study.. Carbon-rich material linked to fossil fuels makes up another 18%.. Together, those inputs suggest that the emissions shaping skies are also the emissions weighing down solar generation.

The reduction in solar output is not even. In China, aerosols are reducing solar production by 7.7% overall. The team also finds that aerosols are offsetting between one-third and one-half of the country’s annual solar growth.

A key detail is geographic. The researchers say the pattern of where photovoltaic losses occur in China mirrors where coal-fired power capacity is concentrated. When they compare pollution data, they estimate that 30% of aerosol-related solar losses in China can be attributed to coal burning.

In the United States. the story is different mostly because the map of solar generation doesn’t overlap as heavily with the map of coal plants.. Most US solar production happens in the south and west. while coal facilities are more common in the east and northeast.. As a result. the researchers estimate US annual losses from aerosols are less than half of those seen in China—about 3%.

The researchers point to signs of improvement in China.. After severe pollution problems. the country built a new generation of high-efficiency coal plants and retired some of the worst polluters.. The data show that those steps are now benefiting solar power too. with the impact of aerosols dropping over the last few years.

Even with that progress. the conclusion the researchers draw is stark: coal appears to be the only power source actively cutting into the productivity of solar. which is emerging as a major competitor.. They say the knock-on effect could also work in both directions—if coal use declines. some of the losses in coal power production could be offset by higher solar productivity.

The research was published in Nature Sustainability in 2026, with the DOI 10.1038/s41893-026-01836-5.

solar power aerosols coal pollution photovoltaic losses sulfur dioxide China US cloud formation Nature Sustainability