Ecovoltaics: Framework and future research directions to reconcile land-based solar power development with ecosystem conservation

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62156489%3A43410%2F23%3A43923899" target="_blank" >RIV/62156489:43410/23:43923899 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110242" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110242</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110242" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110242</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Ecovoltaics: Framework and future research directions to reconcile land-based solar power development with ecosystem conservation

Original language description

Renewable energy production is gaining momentum globally as a way to combat climate change without drastically reducing human energy consumption. Solar energy offers the fastest developing solution. However, ground-mounted solar panels have a high land requirement, which leads to conflicts with other land use types, particularly agriculture and biodiversity conservation. The dual land use of agrivoltaics, i.e., continuing agricultural production under and between solar panels, may alleviate farmers&apos; concerns, but less effort has been made to reconcile solar development with biodiversity conservation. Here we provide a framework for creating a win-win situation for this growing challenge using recent literature on solar park habitats complemented with ecological theories. We also highlight important knowledge gaps that future research should address. Our framework uses a unique land-sharing approach and is based on five pillars that cover key aspects of solar park planning and maintenance: (1) eco-smart siting in the landscape, which considers ecological interactions with the landscape matrix and trade-offs between multiple small vs. fewer large solar parks; (2) eco-smart park layout to address the ecological aspects of the spatial configuration of solar park infrastructure; (3) creation of diverse, novel grassland ecosystems with high ecosystem service provisioning capacity using a trait-based ecosystem design approach; (4) management of the novel ecosystem throughout the lifespan of the solar parks; and (5) ensuring stakeholder engagement to integrate this in a viable business model with high community acceptance. With this framework, we open the way for a new multifunctional land use type: the ecovoltaic park.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2023

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Biological Conservation

ISSN

0006-3207

e-ISSN

1873-2917

Volume of the periodical

285

Issue of the periodical within the volume

September

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

8

Pages from-to

110242

UT code for WoS article

001069012600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85169311517