If all of mankind’s energy was supplied through solar panels would the effect be big enough to decrease the temperature (since light is converted in part to electricity)?

  • scarabic@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Plants fixing carbon also converts energy to a form that isn’t heat, so I think we should count that along with reflection as a way that solar energy doesn’t become terrestrial heat.

    • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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      19 hours ago

      when that electricity (photons absorbed by solar cells dumped into the grid) they’ll almost certainly be used in an application that generates heat, as well - data centers, phones, refrigerators, cars, they all generate heat as a byproduct of using that power.

      I don’t think this is in any way a problem.

      • scarabic@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        Yeah I think you’re somewhat repeating what was said above. No one said it was a problem, but the point was that solar panels don’t cool the earth because even if they do convert some sunlight into electricity instead of heat, it will soon become heat anyway when the electricity gets used.