Question: Nowadays, everyone talks about it: climate change, and more importantly, how to stop it from happening. Although there's a lot of debate around the topic, the consensus is that by inventing a way of generating clean energy, we can slow down (and maybe even reverse) the effects global warming has on the planet. Using energy that was created without burning millions of years worth of stored carbon, we can not only power our everyday lives, but also capture the carbon we've been blowing into our atmosphere using the energy-intensive process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS).

But there are still some problems. Currently, photovoltaic cells are pretty much useless during winter when it comes to fueling the homes of millions (at least where I live). We want to warm our homes, but there's not enough clean energy during those months, so we fall back on nuclear.

**Wouldn't it therefore be better to have a small rise in global temperature?**

* A higher temperature means you don't have to warm your home during winter (as much).
* During summer, you can use the extra energy generated by the photovoltaic cells to power air conditioners in order to cool buildings and
* Use some excess energy to stop the [runaway greenhouse effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runaway_greenhouse_effect) using CCS.

Even though cooling requires more energy than heating, might it break even? **Will the rise in temperature have a positive effect on our energy production and the ability to satisfy energy demand?**

Answer: 
> 
> Wouldn't it therefore be better to have a small rise in global temperature?
> 

**No.** The radiative forcing by carbon dioxide does not increase solar radiation that can be captured by solar cells. The warmer temperatures actually **decrease** solar cell output, because solar cells really like cold temperatures and lots of radiation. You can't have both optimal temperature and optimal radiation at the same time, because solar radiation causes the temperature to increase.

If we could somehow manage radiative forcing, to reduce worldwide temperatures, we could make more power with solar cells.

**Edit:** Nice to have unexplained downvotes after an upvote. So, let me add some sources:

* <https://www.civicsolar.com/article/how-does-heat-affect-solar-panel-efficiencies>
* <https://greentumble.com/effect-of-temperature-on-solar-panel-efficiency/>
* <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610213000829>
* and many, many other (I'm not going to link to all sources I could link to because the list of sources would be very long)
This question seems to have several components. 

Firstly, in terms of PV energy production, a rise in temperature would most likely have a slightly negative effect due to decreased efficiency of solar cells at higher temperatures and perhaps an even greater decrease caused by an increase of cloud cover created by oceanic evaporation. On the other hand, an increase in temperature might cause an increase in rainfall, thereby improving the efficiency of hydroelectric power generation.

Secondly, global climate change in general has a wide variety of effects on regional, local, and micro climates, many of which are indirectly influenced by changes in temperature. The various consequences that might be considered "better" are infrequently examined, and I think it is because climate change enthusiasts would be tarred and feathered more adamantly than climate change deniers.

Next, a rise in temperature might be warmly welcomed by those living in colder climates, but there are many other methods to approach our heating/cooling power requirements which are better addressed through other means. For instance, building subterranean or partially underground homes has a huge impact on indoor climate for both Winter and Summer, in both hot and cold climates. 

Personally, I've managed comfortably now for a year without any heating or cooling power use at all, but it took ten years to create a comfortable and sustainable micro-climate for myself, my plants, and my livestock. Your question inspires me to explore how I can now use my excess PV power for CCS because it's a shame to see that going to waste.