Large photovoltaic panel installation diagram on grassland

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).

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 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).

How does griddis affect PV plants on grassland and barren land?

Nevertheless, the GridDis has opposite effect on two models, indicating the PV plants on grassland are far away from power grid line while PV plants on barren land are close to grid line.

Can photovoltaic power stations be built in a degraded grassland ecosystem?

Specifically, many photovoltaic power stations have been built in degraded grassland ecosystem in semi-arid areas, which effectively utilizes the land's resources limited by low water and nutrient availability (Heredia-Velásquez et al., 2023).

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).