Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth
The impacts of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power on local vegetation are pivotal in the context of widespread solar deployment for net-zero goals, amid escalating land fragility and use competition. Amid debates over positive or negative effects, a global pattern analysis post the past decad...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ada302 |
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| author | Shi Chen Yuhan Wang Xi Lu Kebin He Jiming Hao |
| author_facet | Shi Chen Yuhan Wang Xi Lu Kebin He Jiming Hao |
| author_sort | Shi Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The impacts of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power on local vegetation are pivotal in the context of widespread solar deployment for net-zero goals, amid escalating land fragility and use competition. Amid debates over positive or negative effects, a global pattern analysis post the past decade’s PV surge remains absent. This study quantified vegetation changes across 626 largest global PV stations and probed influencing factors using remote sensing data. Results suggest a positive effect of PV stations on local vegetation for more than 90% of stations in barren areas and 80% of stations in grasslands. But the positive effects only exert for less than 55% stations located in deserts and croplands. PV system design, especially lower installation density, along with favorable pre-existing attributes especially low original vegetation coverage, emerge as pivotal factors potentially improving PV positive impacts. These findings offer fundamental insights into cross-sectoral synergies in renewable development and vegetation growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-05081ed4cc4d42418e53c5934b39ddc8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-05081ed4cc4d42418e53c5934b39ddc82025-01-07T13:15:15ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262025-01-0120101406610.1088/1748-9326/ada302Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growthShi Chen0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8719-4431Yuhan Wang1https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3328-717XXi Lu2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5063-3776Kebin He3Jiming Hao4Department of Global Ecology, Carnegie Science , Stanford, CA 94305, United States of America; Beijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of ChinaBeijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of ChinaBeijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of ChinaBeijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of ChinaBeijing Laboratory of Environmental Frontier Technologies, School of Environment, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of China; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, People’s Republic of ChinaThe impacts of large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power on local vegetation are pivotal in the context of widespread solar deployment for net-zero goals, amid escalating land fragility and use competition. Amid debates over positive or negative effects, a global pattern analysis post the past decade’s PV surge remains absent. This study quantified vegetation changes across 626 largest global PV stations and probed influencing factors using remote sensing data. Results suggest a positive effect of PV stations on local vegetation for more than 90% of stations in barren areas and 80% of stations in grasslands. But the positive effects only exert for less than 55% stations located in deserts and croplands. PV system design, especially lower installation density, along with favorable pre-existing attributes especially low original vegetation coverage, emerge as pivotal factors potentially improving PV positive impacts. These findings offer fundamental insights into cross-sectoral synergies in renewable development and vegetation growth.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ada302renewable energyland vegetationspatial analysissolar power stationagrivoltaicsNDVI |
| spellingShingle | Shi Chen Yuhan Wang Xi Lu Kebin He Jiming Hao Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth Environmental Research Letters renewable energy land vegetation spatial analysis solar power station agrivoltaics NDVI |
| title | Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| title_full | Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| title_fullStr | Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| title_short | Global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| title_sort | global disparity in synergy of solar power and vegetation growth |
| topic | renewable energy land vegetation spatial analysis solar power station agrivoltaics NDVI |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ada302 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shichen globaldisparityinsynergyofsolarpowerandvegetationgrowth AT yuhanwang globaldisparityinsynergyofsolarpowerandvegetationgrowth AT xilu globaldisparityinsynergyofsolarpowerandvegetationgrowth AT kebinhe globaldisparityinsynergyofsolarpowerandvegetationgrowth AT jiminghao globaldisparityinsynergyofsolarpowerandvegetationgrowth |