Is climate change a threat to renewable energy?

Climate change continues to pose a serious threat to energy systems, with rising temperatures directly influencing the performance of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. This study evaluates the effect of increasing ambient and cell temperatures on PV energy generation through experimental data collected from operating solar power plants in India. Performance variations across different PV technologies—monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and bifacial modules—were analyzed, with results showing that cell temperature, rather than ambient temperature alone, plays a decisive role in efficiency reduction. A comparative assessment further examined advanced configurations such as agrivoltaics and floating PV, which demonstrated lower operating cell temperatures (by 4–8 °C) and higher relative efficiency compared to conventional ground-mounted systems. The methodology combined field measurements, temperature–efficiency correlation analysis, and comparative case studies to evaluate the technical and economic viability of these solutions. The findings indicate that next-generation PV installations integrating bifacial, agrivoltaic, and floating systems offer resilience against climate-induced thermal stress while contributing to land and water resource optimization.