Like me, you might have been curious as to how the high-profile discussion of climate change in the Freakonomics sequel got tied into a silly claim (see here for discussion) about the reflectivity of solar panels.
I think I’ve discovered the answer, from the unlikely source of a review of a cookbook. Details here.
P.S. To clarify the title above: the “albedo mystery” is not about the reflectivity of solar panels or even the relevance of this reflectivity to energy policy. Rather, the mystery is why the Freakonomics expert wanted to discuss the reflectivity of solar panels in the first place.