Large Scale Solar Parks Cool Surrounding Land
upstart writes:
Large scale solar parks cool surrounding land:
The team of scientists, from Lancaster University, Ludong University in China, and the University of California Davis in the USA focused on two large-scale solar parks located in arid locations -- the 300 MW Stateline solar park in California USA, and the 850 MW Longyangxia solar park in China.
The researchers used land surface temperature data derived from Landsat satellite images, an approach not previously applied to solar parks. This enabled the study team to compare the land surface temperatures around solar parks before and after the solar parks were constructed. The satellite data was supplemented by on the ground temperature measurements around Stateline solar park.
They found that the parks produced 'cool islands' extending around 700 metres from the solar park boundaries. The temperature of surrounding land surface was reduced by up to 2.3 at 100 metres away from the solar park, with the cooling effects reducing exponentially to 700 metres.
This new discovery is important as it shows the solar park could impact ecological processes, including productivity, decomposition, and ultimately the carbon balance, in the surrounding landscape. The scale of effect will depend on the location and could be positive, negative or inconsequential.
[...] The new findings therefore highlight the need for greater consideration to be given to where solar parks are built around the world, as well as their design, to minimise any negative impacts and boost positive effects.
Journal Reference:
Li Guoqing, Rebecca R Hernandez, George Alan Blackburn, et al.Ground-mounted photovoltaic solar parks promote land surface cool islands in arid ecosystems Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition [Open](DOI: 10.1016/j.rset.2021.100008)
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