Climate Change Amplifies Solar Extremes Across Africa, Threatening Power Resilience
A recent study published in Nature highlights the growing vulnerability of Africa's regional power pools to climate-driven solar photovoltaic (PV) extremes. The research reveals that climate change is intensifying synchronized low-output solar events across the continent, with significant implications for energy resilience. Historical data (1980–2014) shows that PV extremes, defined as days with solar output below the 10th percentile, occur at varying frequencies across regions. However, under high-emission scenarios (SSP5-8.5), these events are projected to increase dramatically. For instance, the Central African Power Pool (CAPP) could see synchronized low-output days rise from 23.5 annually to 118.4 by the end of the century. Similarly, the West African Power Pool (WAPP) is expected to experience a surge in extreme events due to intensified Saharan dust transport and prolonged dry seasons. These changes are driven by a combination of thermal stress and radiative effects, with regional variations influen... 
