Effects of Photovoltaic Solar Farms on Microclimate and Vegetation Diversity

Vervloesem, Jeffrey; Marcheggiani, Ernesto; Choudhury, Abdul Mueed; Muys, Bart

doi:10.3390/su14127493

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…In the Mu Us Desert, China (Liu et al, 2019), PAR was reduced by 67.4% beneath PV panels as compared to an unaltered area. However, the installation of PV panels did not affect PAR in the desert ecosystems of Inner Mongolia, China (Zhao, 2016) or in the farmland ecosystems of Italy (Vervloesem et al, 2022). A 83.9% increase in vegetation cover and 68.7% increase in plant biomass were associated with PV panels in the Gonghe Basin, Qinghai Province, China (Li et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of photovoltaic power station construction on terrestrial ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Zhang

Tian²,

Liu³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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The rapid increase in construction of solar photovoltaic power stations (SPPs) has motivated ecologists to understand how these stations affect terrestrial ecosystems. Comparing study sites, effects are often not consistent, and a more systematic assessment of this topic remains lacking. Here, we evaluated the effects of SPP construction on carbon emissions, edaphic variables, microclimatic factors and vegetation characteristics in a meta-analysis. We employed log response ratios (as effect sizes) to assess how control plots differed from those beneath solar photovoltaic panels. We found that SPP construction decreased the local air temperature and photosynthetically active radiation, while increasing air humidity, especially in grasslands. Furthermore, plant aboveground biomass and vegetation cover were also enhanced by SPP construction in grassland ecosystems. In farmland ecosystems, photovoltaic panel installation increased plant aboveground biomass, soil available phosphorus and soil pH, while reducing CO2 flux, plant species richness and vegetation cover in woodlands. Thus, while SPP construction had profound ecological impacts in terrestrial ecosystems, the direction and strength of these effects were largely dependent on ecosystem type. Most studies of SPP construction to date have focused on local microclimatic and plant diversity effects, but few studies have examined effects on ecosystem functions and services. Future assessments are needed of both the benefits and disbenefits of SPP construction across different ecosystems, to improve SPP site selection and adaptive management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of photovoltaic power station construction on terrestrial ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Zhang

Tian²,

Liu³

et al. 2023

Front. Ecol. Evol.

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“…While some studies have shown a cooling effect of PV power plants on LST [20][21][22][23], others have reported warming effects [12,24,25]. These inconsistent results may stem from the fact that these local-scale studies differ in the time data collected, as well as in the climate and ecosystem types in which the studies took place [26,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These inconsistent results may stem from the fact that these local-scale studies differ in the time data collected, as well as in the climate and ecosystem types in which the studies took place [26,27]. Furthermore, because of a lack of long-term monitoring data, it is difficult to compare temperatures near PV plants with pre-construction conditions [22,25,28]. Even when model-based large-scale analyses are used, the parameters are mainly derived from individual locations and not universal [9,29,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal Asymmetry Effects of Photovoltaic Power Plants on Land Surface Temperature in Gobi Deserts

Wang,

Zhou,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Remote Sensing

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The global expansion of photovoltaic (PV) power plants, especially in ecologically fragile regions like the Gobi Desert, highlights the suitability of such areas for large-scale PV development. The most direct impact of PV development in the Gobi Desert is temperature change that results from the land-use-induced albedo changes; however, the detailed and systemic understanding of the effects of PV expansion on land surface temperature remains limited. This study focuses on the 16 largest PV plants in the Chinese Gobi Desert, utilizing remote sensing data to assess their effects on land surface temperature. Our result showed a cooling effect during the daytime (−0.69 ± 0.10 °C), but a warming effect during the nighttime (0.23 ± 0.05 °C); the overall effect on the daily mean was a cooling effect (−0.22 ± 0.05 °C). Seasonal variations were observed, with the most significant cooling effect in autumn and the weakest in summer. The PV area was the most significant factor which influenced the temperature variation across PV plants. Our findings enrich our understanding of the environmental effects arising from the construction of PV plants and provide vital information for the design and management of increasingly renewable electricity systems globally.

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“…However, the site conditions in solar parks differ significantly from those of typical grassland communities. Inside the solar parks, the microclimate, light conditions, and soil-water balance are modified on a small scale due to changes caused by the solar panels [41][42][43][44][45][46]. In addition, there are plant-related requirements for the target vegetation, such as a low-growth height, to prevent shading of the panels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bee-Friendly Native Seed Mixtures for the Greening of Solar Parks

Meyer

Dullau

Scholz

et al. 2023

Land

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Photovoltaics is one of the key technologies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate neutrality for Europe by 2050, which has led to the promotion of solar parks. These parks can span up to several hundred hectares, and grassland vegetation is usually created between and under the panels. Establishing species-rich grasslands using native seed mixtures can enhance a variety of ecosystem services, including pollination. We present an overall concept for designing native seed mixtures to promote pollinators, especially wild bees, in solar parks. It takes into account the specific site conditions, the small-scale modified conditions caused by the solar panels, and the requirement to avoid panel shading. We highlight the challenges and constraints resulting from the availability of species on the seed market. Furthermore, we provide an easy-to-use index for determining the value of native seed mixtures for wild bee enhancement and apply it as an example to several mixtures specifically designed for solar parks. The increased availability of regional seed would allow a more thorough consideration of pollinator-relevant traits when composing native seed mixtures, thereby enhancing ecosystem services associated with pollinators such as wild bees.

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Effects of Photovoltaic Solar Farms on Microclimate and Vegetation Diversity

Cited by 12 publications

References 89 publications

Effects of photovoltaic power station construction on terrestrial ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Effects of photovoltaic power station construction on terrestrial ecosystems: A meta-analysis

Diurnal Asymmetry Effects of Photovoltaic Power Plants on Land Surface Temperature in Gobi Deserts

Bee-Friendly Native Seed Mixtures for the Greening of Solar Parks

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