Effects of photovoltaic panels on soil temperature and moisture in desert areas

Yue, Shengjuan; Guo, Mengjing; Zou, Penghui; Wu, Wenbin; Zhou, Xiaode

doi:10.1007/s11356-020-11742-8

Cited by 44 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…At a 0.6 m depth, soil under the center of the panels remained near saturation (∼30% volumetric water content (VWC)), whereas the interspace area depleted from ∼30% to ∼20% VWC by the end of the growing season (Hassanpour Adeh et al 2018). Similar patterns have been observed at solar farms in China (Wu et al 2022, Yue et al 2021. Soil moisture at a northwest China site was wettest (10%-20% VWC) at the main dripline at the front of panels as well as under the center of the panel row where a small gap in panels was located; soils at the back edge of panels and nearby reference soils were driest (5%-10% VWC; Wu et al 2022).…”

Section: Impact Of Solar Panels On Soil Moisture Distributionsupporting

confidence: 62%

“…For example, solar panels decreased the soil temperature beneath the panels compared to reference sites, but these differences were more substantial in spring versus summer (Lambert et al 2021). Increases in soil temperature beneath solar panels relative to reference sites have also been observed during autumn and winter periods at solar farms located in the United Kingdom and western China, when solar panels may help prevent loss of longwave radiation (Armstrong et al 2016, Yue et al 2021. Remote sensing observations of the land surface temperature in Nevada found temperature differences to be greatest in winter when the Sun was lower and the shadows from solar panels were larger (Edalat 2017).…”

Section: Solar Farms Micrometeorology and Evapotranspirationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Soil moisture at a northwest China site was wettest (10%-20% VWC) at the main dripline at the front of panels as well as under the center of the panel row where a small gap in panels was located; soils at the back edge of panels and nearby reference soils were driest (5%-10% VWC; Wu et al 2022). At an arid western China solar farm, soil moisture was consistently higher under panels-14.7% higher under fixed tilt panels compared to 11% higher under variable tilt panels (Yue et al 2021). Soil moisture was also consistently higher under solar panels at an agrivoltaics site located at Arizona, USA, as compared to an agricultural control site (Barron-Gafford et al 2019).…”

Section: Impact Of Solar Panels On Soil Moisture Distributionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management

Bajehbaj

Zaliwciw

Cibin

et al. 2022

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

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As solar energy becomes an increasingly cheap source of renewable energy, major utility-scale ground solar panel installations, often called ‘solar farms,’ are rapidly growing. With these solar farms often covering hundreds of acres, there is potential for impacts on natural hydrologic processes, including runoff generation and erosion. Here we review the current state of scientific research on hydrology and water quality impacts of solar farms, as well as management recommendations for minimizing any impacts. The limited field measurements indicate redistribution of soil moisture around solar farms, but net impacts on runoff and erosion are less clear. Research focused on coupling solar farms with agriculture as ‘agrivoltaics’ demonstrates reduced evaporative water losses and associated crop stress. With regards to land and stormwater management associated with solar farms, most US states currently do not have solar farm-specific recommendations and instead defer to standard stormwater management permits and guidance. In states with solar farm-specific guidance, typical recommendations include minimizing construction-related compaction, ensuring high cover of perennial vegetation with minimal maintenance, and designing with pervious space between solar panel rows to promote infiltration of any runoff; in some cases, structural stormwater management like infiltration basins may be required. In general, solar farms can be designed to minimize the impact on landscape ecohydrological processes, but more research is needed to determine whether current recommendations are adequate. In particular, there is a need for more field research on less ideal sites such as those with higher slopes.

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Section: Impact Of Solar Panels On Soil Moisture Distributionsupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Solar Farms Micrometeorology and Evapotranspirationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Impact Of Solar Panels On Soil Moisture Distributionmentioning

confidence: 98%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management

Bajehbaj

Zaliwciw

Cibin

et al. 2022

Environ. Res.: Infrastruct. Sustain.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Moreover, the research results presented in this paper do not take into account the effect that micro photovoltaic installations have on the local microclimate or the effects of disturbances that these installations may generate (Galla and Wlas, 2021;Pijarski et al, 2018). At the same time, research results presented in the literature (Yue et al, 2021) suggest that the use of photovoltaic panels affects the local microclimate by raising the ambient temperature. These results apply to photovoltaic power plants, but for micro-installations such studies have not been presented so far.The demand for energy is constantly increasing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Scientific considerations in the articles focus on ecological effects in terms of microclimatic changes (Yue et al, 2021) or biodiversity (Uldrijan et al, 2021). Ecological effects of preferential vegetation composition developed on sites with photovoltaic power plants.…”

Section: Directions Of Financing the Energy Production Growth From Renewable Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Renewable Energy Sources vs. an Air Quality Improvement in Urbanized Areas - the Metropolitan Area of Kraków Case

et al. 2021

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The premise for the selection of the topic discussed in this article is the lack of research on the level of reduction of air pollutant emissions by the use of photovoltaic micro-installations in single-family buildings, both in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore, the Authors made an attempt to estimate the scale of air pollution reduction (in particular CO2) in the area of the urbanized Metropolitan area of Krakow, which is one of the most polluted regions in Poland. The installation of photovoltaic panels on single-family buildings, co-financed by the government My Electricity Program, is the investment cost in improving the air quality in this region, and thus increasing the well-being of its inhabitants.

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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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Effects of photovoltaic panels on soil temperature and moisture in desert areas

Cited by 44 publications

References 29 publications

Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management

Minimizing environmental impacts of solar farms: a review of current science on landscape hydrology and guidance on stormwater management

Renewable Energy Sources vs. an Air Quality Improvement in Urbanized Areas - the Metropolitan Area of Kraków Case

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

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