Analysis reveals how photo voltaic arrays can support grasslands throughout drought
by Employees and Companies
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 04, 2025
New analysis from Colorado State College and Cornell College reveals that the presence of photo voltaic panels in Colorado’s grasslands might scale back water stress, enhance soil moisture ranges and – notably throughout dry years – improve plant progress by about 20% or extra in comparison with open fields.
The findings have been revealed in Environmental Analysis Letters this week. The paper outlines the potential advantages and challenges when photovoltaic (PV) arrays are positioned in grassland ecosystems. The findings are notably related when contemplating drought within the arid west and the potential for future local weather change.
Whereas solar energy programs are a key supply of renewable vitality, they scale back the quantity of daylight out there for plant progress, which may influence these complicated ecosystems in ways in which scale back the wildlife they help, the carbon they retailer and the quantity of forage they produce for livestock grazing. The work, primarily based on 4 years of information from an agrivoltaics photo voltaic facility in Longmont, Colorado, represents the primary effort to area check how co-locating photo voltaic and grasslands adjustments these dynamics.
Colorado’s semi-arid grasslands typically want extra water than is obtainable by way of precipitation in every season.
The group discovered that vegetation beneath and across the photo voltaic programs in that atmosphere benefited from partial shading and extra water that collects on panels – aiding of their struggle to outlive through the harsh summer time months. They discovered that in a dry 12 months, grass progress on the east aspect of panels was as much as 90% extra productive in some circumstances than the neighboring open web site. Throughout moist and regular years, this constructive grass manufacturing response was diminished, however the east aspect of the panels nonetheless noticed extra grass manufacturing than the management web site.
Cornell Postdoctoral Analysis Affiliate Matthew Sturchio is an creator on the paper together with CSU College Distinguished Professor Alan Knapp. Sturchio was beforehand a part of Knapp’s group within the Division of Biology, and he’s nonetheless an affiliated researcher at CSU.
Sturchio mentioned the outcomes show the potential of photo voltaic land use synergies in grasslands that help each wanted renewable energy era and ecosystem stability.
“There have been a number of research reporting improved plant and water relations from photo voltaic arrays,” he mentioned. “Nevertheless, that is the primary evaluation that reveals how that sample turns into extra pronounced with rising aridity or dryness like we see in Colorado.
“An important takeaway right here is that though this photo voltaic array was designed to maximise vitality era – to not promote helpful environmental situations for the grasses grown beneath – it nonetheless offered a extra favorable atmosphere throughout a dry 12 months.”
Sturchio mentioned these positive factors may improve if panels have been as an alternative designed to maximise their advantages relying on situations. Which will embody altering their place to supply shade when air temperatures rise or configuring them to let extra mild in throughout key components of the rising season.
“With small adjustments in array design, configuration and administration, we might even understand untapped advantages, notably these associated to water use,” he mentioned.
The paper is a part of ongoing analysis by the pair into agrivoltaics: a twin use method the place solar energy infrastructure is designed and positioned to additionally help livestock grazing or pollinator habitats in parallel. These agricultural choices do not require irrigation or equipment. Nevertheless, due to their heavy reliance on rain to help plant progress, analysis like that is wanted to know how the addition of panels adjustments the atmosphere general.
Knapp and his lab have been learning grasslands at CSU for many years, focusing totally on how they address continual water stress and drought. He mentioned analysis within the paper focuses on perennial C3, “cool season” grasses that choose wetter situations. The subsequent step will likely be to check the extra widespread C4 grasses discovered within the plains of Colorado. These vegetation flourish in hotter situations with numerous daylight.
“These grasslands are much more water-limited than those we used on this examine. Thus, we anticipate the potential of photo voltaic arrays to mitigate water stress could also be even better,” Knapp mentioned.
Sturchio added that photo voltaic panels might even present a possibility to revive grassland ecosystems by selling numerous plant communities. He mentioned constructing photo voltaic services in ecosystems that might profit from their strategic placement is an apparent win-win.
“We hypothesize that grassland restoration in arid and semi-arid areas may gain advantage not solely from the favorable situations in photo voltaic arrays, but additionally from the environmental heterogeneity created by panels,” he mentioned. “We’re excited to check the purposeful underpinnings of that concept on the newly constructed Shortgrass Ecovoltaic Analysis Facility in Nunn, Colorado, very quickly.”
Analysis Report:Evidence of photovoltaic aridity mitigation in semi-arid grasslands
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Colorado State University
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