The Influences of the Desert Photovoltaic Power Station on Local Climate and Environment: A Case Study in Dunhuang Photovoltaic Industrial Park, Dunhuang City, China in 2019

Abstract

Based on the meteorological observation data of air temperature, surface temperature and albedo data retrieved from remote sensing images inside and outside the photovoltaic station, as well as the measured soil moisture content and bulk density at different locations of the photovoltaic power station in 2019, the impact of large-scale desert photovoltaic power plants on climate and environment was studied. The results show that air temperature, surface temperature and albedo inside the photovoltaic power station are lower than those outside the station, which are obvious in winter and not obvious in summer. Therefore, the photovoltaic power station is a cold source and an energy sink. The soil moisture content under and between the photovoltaic modules is larger than other sampling points, and the soil bulk density gradually decreases with the distance from the center of the photovoltaic power station. Therefore, future plans for desert photovoltaic power station construction should take into account the impacts on local climate and environment.

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

“…However, because the daytime cooling surpasses the nighttime warming, there was an overall cooling effect of PV power plants on the daily mean LST. The daytime cooling aligns with previous findings from Dunhuang [11], but the nighttime warming effect contradicts the result of Zhang and Xu [39] from various ecosystems. A possible reason for this discrepancy could be that our study took place in a certain ecosystem type, i.e., Gobi.…”

“…The rapid expansion of PV power plants has created a new type of land-use change [8] that leads to changed local microclimates (e.g., temperature and moisture) by altering photosynthetic active radiation and surface albedo [9][10][11]. These microclimatic changes could, in turn, induce changes in the ecosystem, for example, in the form of altered vegetation, plant and soil biodiversity, and soil carbon cycling [12][13][14].…”

“…Compared to in situ field observation, remote sensing technology allows the comparison and analysis of temperature data before and after the construction of PV power plants. Previous studies which used remote sensing data to study the effects of PV power plants on LST were limited to single-site [11] or covered multiple ecosystem types [39]. Therefore, the detailed and systemic understanding of the effects of PV expansion on LST in the Gobi Desert of China remains limited.…”