Evaluating the thermal environmental alterations due to photovoltaic installations in the kushida river basin, Japan

Abstract

The construction of Photovoltaic (PV) provides renewable energy, but it is also impacting the basins environment. The study simulates the annual construction status of PV installations within the research area over a time series from 2013 to 2023, and to understanding of the trends in Land Surface Temperature (LST) changes due to the PVs. The results revealed that the number of PV installations in the study area increased most significantly between 2018 and 2019, with the newly installed area during this period being approximately 5.2 times larger than 2013. Although large-scale construction slowed after 2020, small and medium-sized PV installations continued. The study found that the LST around PV which built from 2013 to 2023 increased by an average of 2.85 °C. Also, LST-difference (LST-D) changes with the seasons. The analysis of the relationship between geographical conditions and LST difference revealed that in hilly and mountainous areas with higher elevations, the impact of PV construction on LST was lower. And found that the distance of the PV from the watercourse and the surrounding land cover also had an impact to LST changes, with spatial variability between the different impact variables as analysed by the Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model.