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Effects of photovoltaic panels on soil temperature and moisture in desert areas

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Abstract

Photovoltaic power generation is an important clean energy alternative to fossil fuels. To reduce CO2 emissions, the Chinese government has ordered the construction of a large number of photovoltaic (PV) panels to generate power in the past two decades; many are located in desert areas because of the sufficient light conditions. Large-scale PV construction in desert areas can alter the local microclimate and soil conditions, thereby affecting the growth of vegetation. However, few studies have focused on the effects of PV panels on the environment of desert areas. In this study, we investigated the effects of PV panels on soil moisture and temperature via a whole-year field experiment at a PV power plant in a desert area in western China. The in situ soil moisture and temperature at a depth of 0–0.4 m were measured under three types of PV shading conditions: shaded by fixed-tilt (FIX) PV panels, shaded by oblique single-axis (OSA) PV panels, and no shading. The results showed that the soil temperature and moisture at sites under PV shading were significantly affected compared with those at sites without shading. PV panels increased the average soil temperature during winter but decreased it during the other three seasons. Moreover, the warming effect of FIX PV panels on the soil is more apparent than that of OSA PV panels. PV panels have positive effects on soil moisture. Compared with that at the sites without shaded areas, the average soil moisture under the FIX PV panels and under the OSA PV panels increased by 14.7% and by 11.1%, respectively. These data provide support for future studies on vegetation restoration around PV power plants in desert areas.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author M. Guo. The data are not publicly available due to the data related to the confidentiality of the project “Study on ecological environment effect and regulation of large photovoltaic industrial park in Qinghai province.”

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank SPIC Qinghai Photovoltaic Industry Innovation Center Co., Ltd. for the monitoring site.

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41807156, 51979222, and 91747206).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Eco-hydraulics in Northwest Arid Region of China, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Shengjuan Yue, Mengjing Guo, Wei Wu & Xiaode Zhou

  2. School of Water Resources and Electric Power, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China

    Shengjuan Yue

  3. State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China

    Shengjuan Yue

  4. SPIC Qinghai Photovoltaic Industry Innovation Center Co., Ltd., Xining, 810008, China

    Penghui Zou

Authors
  1. Shengjuan Yue
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  2. Mengjing Guo
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  3. Penghui Zou
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  4. Wei Wu
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  5. Xiaode Zhou
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Contributions

Shengjuan Yue designed and performed the research; Penghui Zou and Wei Wu were the main technical guidance; Shengjuan Yue and Mengjing Guo analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. Xiaode Zhou provided valuable suggestions on the comparative methods. All authors reviewed and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mengjing Guo.

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Yue, S., Guo, M., Zou, P. et al. Effects of photovoltaic panels on soil temperature and moisture in desert areas. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 17506–17518 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11742-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11742-8

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