Observed surface radiation and temperature impacts from the large-scale deployment of photovoltaics in the barren area of Gonghe, China

Chang, Rui; Shen, Yanbo; Luo, Yong; Wang, Bo; Yang, Zhenbin; Guo, Peng

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2017.11.007

Cited by 48 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…As the daytime warming effect was weaker than the night-time cooling effect at the PV site, the PV power plant showed an overall cooling effect throughout the day. This result was inconsistent with the conclusions of Chang et al [19] from a study of the same PV power plant. This difference might be due to the selection of different monitoring sites.…”

Section: Daytime and Night-time Variations In Temperature Differencecontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, the underlying surface of the Gonghe PV Power Plant was desert with sparse vegetation. Chang et al [19] showed that the PV panels had a cooling effect at night, which is consistent with the conclusions of this article. Based on different climatic conditions, seasons, underlying surfaces, and scales of the PV power plants, the environmental temperature inside and outside PV power plants may decrease to different degrees at night.…”

Section: Impact Of the Pv Power Plant On Local Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 92%

“…The locations of the temperature monitoring instruments in different studies affected the degrees to which PV power plants influenced temperature. For example, the daytime temperature of PV panels was up to 9.7 • C higher than the ambient temperature at a height of 2 m [19]. As the height from the ground increased, the heating effect of the PV power plant decreased, and the heat generated by the panels would be completely dissipated to the environment at a height of 5-18 m. As the distance of the monitoring site from the PV power plant increased, the thermal energy dissipated more quickly, and the air temperature approached the ambient temperature [27].…”

Section: Impact Of the Pv Power Plant On Local Temperaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…This difference might be due to the selection of different monitoring sites. Chang et al [19] used the temperature of PV panels to represent the temperature of the PV power plant. The daytime increase in PV panel temperature was significantly greater than the night-time decrease in PV panel temperature.…”

Section: Daytime and Night-time Variations In Temperature Differencementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, due to the short observation data sequence, no comprehensive and systematic conclusions on temperature change were obtained. Chang et al [19] showed that the rising temperature of PV panels during the daytime is a heat source for the surrounding environment, which may cause the "heat island effect", while PV panels have a cooling effect at night. The different temperature changes in the above different studies may be due to areas with different land-surface (such as urban and desert) properties, which give diverse fluxes of sensible and latent heat, which in turn affect the turbulent mixing and horizontal advection in the atmospheric boundary layer [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Observational Study on the Impact of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Development in Deserts on Local Air Temperature and Humidity

Yue

Zhou

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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As an important form of clean energy, photovoltaic (PV) power generation is entering a rapid development phase. Qinghai, China is located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It has sufficient sunlight and rich heat and light resources, includes a large area of the Gobi Desert, and has become China’s largest base for PV power generation. However, large-scale PV development in deserts changes the local surface energy distribution and impacts local microclimates. This study considered the Gonghe PV Power Plant in Qinghai as an example. Three monitoring stations were set up in the PV power plant, transition, and reference areas, and the influence of large-scale PV developments on the local air temperature and humidity was studied based on long-term, multi-point field observation data. The results showed that the overall daytime air temperature in the PV power plant had changed slightly (increased and decreased), while the night-time temperature dropped significantly. Specifically, in spring and summer, the daytime temperature increased slightly, with a maximum increase of 0.34 °C; in autumn and winter, the daytime temperature decreased slightly, with a maximum decrease of 0.26 °C; in all seasons, the night-time temperature decreased, with a maximum decrease of 1.82 °C during the winter night. The relative humidity in the PV power plant generally increased; except for a slight decrease in summer, the daytime and night-time relative humidity in spring, autumn, and winter always increased. The humidification in winter was the most significant, with increases of 5.00% and 4.76% for the transition and reference areas, respectively. The diurnal air temperature and relative humidity ranges in the PV power plant were greater than those outside the PV power plant. The results obtained in this field observation study could serve as a basis for quantitative evaluation of the microclimate effects of large-scale PV development in deserts and provide technical support for guiding the future planning and development of the PV industry.

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Section: Daytime and Night-time Variations In Temperature Differencecontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Impact Of the Pv Power Plant On Local Temperaturesupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Impact Of the Pv Power Plant On Local Temperaturementioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Daytime and Night-time Variations In Temperature Differencementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Observational Study on the Impact of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Development in Deserts on Local Air Temperature and Humidity

Yue

Zhou

et al. 2020

Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Quantitatively distinguishing the impact of solar photovoltaics programs on vegetation in dryland using satellite imagery

Xia,

Li,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Global drylands are experiencing booming development of centralized photovoltaics (PV), which aims to address the dual challenges posed by climate change and energy transformation. In dryland areas with large‐scale deployment of solar PV infrastructure, vegetation was reported to experience drastic changes. However, the long‐term dynamic changes and driving mechanisms have not been thoroughly studied yet. Quantitatively distinguishing the disturbances of climate change and PV plant deployment on vegetation change is the key to understanding the environmental impact of clean energy development and formulating adaptive ecological recovery measures. To understand this, we selected the Gonghe solar power project in northern China, one of the largest dryland PV plants in the world, as a case study. Specifically, satellite‐derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and meteorological data from ground stations were used to analyze the changing patterns of vegetation growth and climatic factors. The relative contributions of climatic factors and PV plant deployment to NDVI change were quantified by multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that vegetation has increased gradually since 2000, with the rate of vegetation recovery doubled during the PV expansion period. From 2013 to 2020, climate change was the main driver of increased vegetation (56%), followed by the expansion of solar PV infrastructures (44%). Vegetation inside PV arrays increased 1.4 times faster than outside, mainly because the PV panels improve the efficiency of rainwater utilization in summer and reduce the negative impact of excessive sunlight in the growing season. In addition, vegetation management practices like grazing can further enhance carbon sequestration and create sustainable livelihood opportunities, achieving sustainable economic, social, and ecological development. The novelty of the study lies in the proposed framework to quantify the impact of solar PV programs on vegetation in dryland allowing easy interpretations of vegetation dynamics under clean energy development and climate change, which provide scientific references for clean energy planning and ecological recovery in arid areas.

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A comparative study on surface energy flux characteristics of photovoltaic power station in Gobi in summer

Zhao

Yang³

et al. 2022

Theor Appl Climatol

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Observed surface radiation and temperature impacts from the large-scale deployment of photovoltaics in the barren area of Gonghe, China

Cited by 48 publications

References 17 publications

Observational Study on the Impact of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Development in Deserts on Local Air Temperature and Humidity

Observational Study on the Impact of Large-Scale Photovoltaic Development in Deserts on Local Air Temperature and Humidity

Quantitatively distinguishing the impact of solar photovoltaics programs on vegetation in dryland using satellite imagery

A comparative study on surface energy flux characteristics of photovoltaic power station in Gobi in summer

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