Integration of photovoltaic panels and green roofs: review and predictions of effects on electricity production and plant communities

Schindler, Bracha Y.; Blank, Lior; Levy, Shay; Kadas, Gyongyver J.; Pearlmutter, David; Blaustein, Leon

doi:10.1080/15659801.2015.1048617

Cited by 34 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Schindler et. al [22] have described (in a study on photovoltaics and green roofs) a diverse plant community on sun-exposed roofs due to the shading of panels, as the shade benefits some species but is detrimental to others. In a ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences research project [23], it was found that s-strategy plants (stress tolerators) were most successful under a PV canopy.…”

Section: Period Frost Days Ice Days Summer Days Heat Daysmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “PV Rooftop Garden”: Providing Recreational Green Roofs and Renewable Energy as a Multifunctional System within One Surface Area

2020

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In urban areas, summer temperatures are continuously increasing, and cities are aiming at implementing measures to mitigate the urban heat island (UHI) effect. Reducing sealed surfaces and adding plants have been shown to be beneficial for urban microclimates. Green roofs are thus a viable alternative to standard roofs made out of materials that completely seal the top layer. However, roofs are, at the same time, also ideal for the integration of photovoltaics (PVs), as they are mostly unshaded. With both applications competing for the same surface area, solutions must be found that symbiotically combine the benefits of vegetation and renewable energy. Using an interdisciplinary study, various designs were developed for prototypical applications to integrate PV systems into rooftop gardens, with a specific focus on retrofitting flat roofs. The prototypes were analyzed and tested based on structural design aspects, suitable plant choices, and energy output. The results showed that the concurrent integration of PVs and green roofs into the same surface area can be achieved with lightweight construction, which is particularly suitable for existing buildings. The system can contribute to much-needed urban renewable energy generation, the mitigation of the UHI effect, and the provision of recreational spaces.

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Section: Period Frost Days Ice Days Summer Days Heat Daysmentioning

confidence: 99%

The “PV Rooftop Garden”: Providing Recreational Green Roofs and Renewable Energy as a Multifunctional System within One Surface Area

2020

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“…Shade can be fostered by an increase in plant cover, which increased the richness of true bugs in 115 green roofs across France [501, and the richness of C3-, C4-grasses, and forbs on 10 green roofs in New York [71]. Recently, solar panels, which can be installed on green roofs (Figure 2), were suggested as ways to create shady sites, with the change of shaded and non-shaded roof areas increasing habitat heterogeneity [72,73].…”

Section: Roof Characteristics Species Richness Species Abundance Funcmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, overall plant abundance increases with substrate depth [62,63,70,87] as it does with irrigation [71] and shade [88,89], i.e., favorable conditions. Increased vegetation cover and height, in turn, affect arthropods, with species such as bees that mainly prefer open, sunny sites decreasing in abundance but species such as many spiders that hunt within vegetation increasing in abundance [73]. Mowing and the associated reduction in plant height decreased the dominance of plant species flowering in spring or summer [75]-which in turn fostered other species.…”

Section: Trends In Green Roof Species Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In one of these studies, only common or generalist species were recorded (arthropods on a green roof in Chiba City, Japan [54]). All other studies emphasized the occurrence of rare or endangered species such as spiders [56], beetles [67,105,106], arthropods in general [73], and vascular plants [100,107]. However, this result might be biased, as neither the presence nor the absence of rare or endangered species might always be mentioned.…”

Section: Patterns Of Rare and Endangered Species On Green Roofsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The diversification of plant species cultivated on roofs-beyond Sedum-will counteract the tendency of worldwide biotic homogenization [101], increase within-roof structural diversity, and consequently promote species richness and abundance. The inclusion of additional structural elements, such as logs and pebble piles, the application of a differentiated mowing regime or the installation of solar panels on top of green roofs [72,73] further supports structural diversity [63], with the latter also creating multifunctionality.…”

Section: Opportunities To Increase the Biodiversity Of Green Roofsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biodiversity Impact of Green Roofs and Constructed Wetlands as Progressive Eco-Technologies in Urban Areas

2019

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The total amount of sealed surfaces is increasing in many urban areas, which presents a challenge for sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants when extreme rainfall events occur. One promising solution approach is the application of decentralized eco-technologies for water management such as green roofs and constructed wetlands, which also have the potential to improve urban biodiversity. We review the effects of these two eco-technologies on species richness, abundance and other facets of biodiversity (e.g., functional diversity). We find that while green roofs support fewer species than ground-level habitats and thus are not a substitute for the latter, the increase in green roof structural diversity supports species richness. Species abundance benefits from improved roof conditions (e.g., increased substrate depth). Few studies have investigated the functional diversity of green roofs so far, but the typical traits of green roof species have been identified. The biodiversity of animals in constructed wetlands can be improved by applying animal-aided design rather than by solely considering engineering requirements. For example, flat and barrier-free shore areas, diverse vegetation, and heterogeneous surroundings increase the attractiveness of constructed wetlands for a range of animals. We suggest that by combining and making increasing use of these two eco-technologies in urban areas, biodiversity will benefit.

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Grassland productivity responds unexpectedly to dynamic light and soil water environments induced by photovoltaic arrays

et al. 2022

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Agrivoltaic (AV) systems are designed to coproduce photovoltaic (PV) energy on lands simultaneously supporting agriculture (food/forage production). PV infrastructure in agroecosystems alters resources critical for plant growth, and water‐limited agroecosystems such as grasslands are likely to be particularly sensitive to the unique spatial and temporal patterns of incident sunlight and soil water inherent within AV systems. However, the impact of resource alteration on forage production, the primary ecosystem service from managed grasslands, is poorly resolved. Here, we evaluated seasonal patterns of soil moisture (SM) and diurnal variation in incident sunlight (photosynthetic photon flux density [PPFD]) in a single‐axis‐tracking AV system established in a formerly managed semiarid C3 grassland in Colorado. Our goals were to (1) quantify dynamic patterns of PPFD and SM within a 1.2 MW PV array in a perennial grassland, and (2) determine how aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and photosynthetic parameters responded to the resource patterns created by the PV array. We hypothesized that spatial variability in ANPP would be strongly related to SM patterns, typical of most grasslands. We measured significant reductions in ANPP directly beneath PV panels, where SM and PPFD were both low. However, in locations with significantly increased SM from the shedding and redistribution of precipitation by PV panels, ANPP was not increased. Instead, ANPP was greatest in locations where plants were shaded in the afternoon but received high levels of PPFD in the morning hours, when air temperatures and vapor pressure deficits were relatively low. Thus, contrary to expectations, we found relatively weak relationships between SM and ANPP despite significant spatial variability in both. Further, there was little evidence that light‐saturated photosynthesis (Asat) and quantum yield of CO2 assimilation (ϕCO2) differed for plants growing directly beneath (lowest PPFD) versus between (highest PPFD) PV panels. Overall, the AV system established in this semiarid managed grassland did not alter patterns of ANPP in ways predictable from past studies of controls of ANPP in open grasslands. However, our results suggest that the diurnal timing of low versus high periods of PPFD incident on plants is an important determinant of productivity patterns in grasslands.

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Integration of photovoltaic panels and green roofs: review and predictions of effects on electricity production and plant communities

Cited by 34 publications

References 40 publications

The “PV Rooftop Garden”: Providing Recreational Green Roofs and Renewable Energy as a Multifunctional System within One Surface Area

The “PV Rooftop Garden”: Providing Recreational Green Roofs and Renewable Energy as a Multifunctional System within One Surface Area

Biodiversity Impact of Green Roofs and Constructed Wetlands as Progressive Eco-Technologies in Urban Areas

Grassland productivity responds unexpectedly to dynamic light and soil water environments induced by photovoltaic arrays

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