THE DUST PENALTY · EN8905 · back to the project

Career mode. Run Bahrain's solar plants against the desert — dust eats your output at the project's real measured −0.79%/day, storms dump it in bulk, dew cements it on, and every wash costs precious desalinated water. Read the forecast. Time your washes. Earn the stars.

Service record
Best endless careers
How to play
WASH (or Space) when dust costs more than water is worth.
Watch the 5-day forecast — never face a shamal with an empty tank.
Keep retention ≥95% to build an efficiency streak (score ×1.5).

Every number is the project's evidence: −0.79%/day measured on paired panels in Bahrain (Entry 5) · 24,000 L per MW-wash [11] · Doha 12–24%/month losses [5] · dew cementation [4] · gas-vs-solar carbon gap [3] · 6 peak-sun-hours [8] — all in the references.

MISSION DAY 1/28 ☀ CLEAR SCORE 0
Panel retention
100.0%
Energy · target MWh
0.0 MWh
Water tank
kL
CO₂ avoided vs gas
0.0 t
Mission debrief

Shift report

★★★
What the desert just taught you
Operator certification · 3 questions

⏸ Paused

Retention decays −0.79%/day (my measured rate). Keep it above 95% and never meet a shamal with an empty tank.

👷 Welcome, operator

Your plant earns energy every daylight hour — but the desert dusts your panels at −0.79% output per day (the rate this project measured on real panels in Bahrain). Your one job: decide when to wash.

💧 Water is the price

Each wash restores 100% but drains desalinated water from a finite tank. Waste it early and you'll watch a shamal storm bury your panels with nothing left to fight back.

🌪 Read the forecast

The 5-day forecast under the scene shows what's coming: 🌪 storms spike dust instantly, 💧 dew cements it (faster decay until washed), 🌬 wind cleans a little free. Keep retention ≥95% to build a 🔥 score streak. Good luck.