Do PV panels reduce plant productivity in grasslands?

A previous study in the UK found that PV arrays in grasslands reduced plant productivity by 25% in sheltered zones under the PV panels (referred to as ‘Under zones') compared to the ambient grassland; however, soil properties did not vary between the treatments (Armstrong et al., 2016).

Can grassland ecosystems be used for photovoltaic panels?

Grassland ecosystems account for over 20 % of the global land area, providing huge potential for the deployment of photovoltaic panels (Zhang et al., 2024a).

How do photovoltaic systems affect grassland restoration?

Photovoltaic systems relieve the pressure of resource extraction and energy generation on climate change, and their installation and module operation affect vegetation productivity and grassland restoration by changing the microenvironment and ecosystem processes.

Can solar panels improve land use in grasslands?

However, experimental studies are needed to confirm this promising prospect. The deployment of PV arrays results in significant changes to land use in grasslands, which may affect plant and soil processes as well as ecosystem service provision (Armstrong et al., 2014; Blaydes et al., 2021; Oudes and Stremke, 2021; Weselek et al., 2019).

Are PV panels a win-win strategy for promoting grassland restoration?

Overall, the PV array zone superimposed the dual effects of PV panels and their fences, with the ecological indicators showing a greater positive influence than common grassland fencing. Our results suggested that deploying PV arrays was a win-win strategy for promoting grassland restoration and resolving land use conflicts in degraded grasslands.

Can PV power stations be installed in grassland areas?

As a result, PV power stations have rapidly developed in grassland areas (Adeh et al., 2019; Armstrong et al., 2016; Dias et al., 2019; Martín-Chivelet, 2016), particularly in the northern grassland areas of China (Bai et al., 2022; Zhao et al., 2019).