Ungulate use before and after utility‐scale solar development

Utility‐scale solar energy (USSE) has become an efficient and cost‐effective form of renewable energy, with an expanding footprint into rangelands that provide important habitat for many wild ungulate populations. Using global positioning system data collected before and after construction, we documented the potential impacts of USSE on pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), including direct habitat loss, indirect habitat loss, and barrier effects to both resident and migratory population segments. Our case study highlights the challenges that USSE poses to ungulate conservation, including (1) impermeable security fencing that blocks access to and reduces connectivity between formerly available habitats, and (2) the lack of guidelines for minimizing USSE impacts on ungulates. Improved siting and ungulate‐specific best management practices would help to minimize habitat loss and retain landscape connectivity. Ungulate biodiversity and ecosystem services (for example, services provided by long‐distance migratory species) in arid rangelands are important considerations when balancing the global benefits of renewable energy with local wildlife impacts.

Strategic land use analysis for solar energy development in New York State

As utility-scale solar energy (USSE) systems increase in size and numbers globally, there is a growing interest in understanding environmental interactions between solar energy development and land-use decisions. Maximizing the efficient use of land for USSE is one of the major challenges in realizing the full potential of solar energy; however, the land-use efficiency (LUE; Wm(-2)) of USSE remains ambiguous. We quantified the capacity-based LUE of 183 USSE installations (>20 MW; planned, under construction, and operating) using California as a case study. In California, USSE installations are concentrated in the Central Valley and interior regions of southern California and have a LUE of 35.0 Wm(-2). The installations occupy approximately 86,000 ha and more land is allocated for photovoltaic schemes (72 294 ha) than for concentrating solar power (13,604 ha). Photovoltaic installations are greater in abundance (93%) than concentrating solar power, but technology type and nameplate capacity has no impact on capacity-based LUE. More USSE installations are on private land (80%) and have a significantly greater LUE (35.8 Wm(-2)) than installations on public land (25.4 Wm(-2)). Our findings can be used to better understand and improve the LUE of USSE, thereby maximizing economic, energetic, and environmental returns on investments.

Decisions determining the use of land for energy are of exigent concern as land scarcity, the need for ecosystem services, and demands for energy generation have concomitantly increased globally. Utility-scale solar energy (USSE) [i.e., ≥ 1 megawatt (MW)] development requires large quantities of space and land; however, studies quantifying the effect of USSE on land cover change and protected areas are limited. We assessed siting impacts of >160 USSE installations by technology type [photovoltaic (PV) vs. concentrating solar power (CSP)], area (in square kilometers), and capacity (in MW) within the global solar hot spot of the state of California (United States). Additionally, we used the Carnegie Energy and Environmental Compatibility model, a multiple criteria model, to quantify each installation according to environmental and technical compatibility. Last, we evaluated installations according to their proximity to protected areas, including inventoried roadless areas, endangered and threatened species habitat, and federally protected areas. We found the plurality of USSE (6,995 MW) in California is sited in shrublands and scrublands, comprising 375 km(2) of land cover change. Twenty-eight percent of USSE installations are located in croplands and pastures, comprising 155 km(2) of change. Less than 15% of USSE installations are sited in "Compatible" areas. The majority of "Incompatible" USSE power plants are sited far from existing transmission infrastructure, and all USSE installations average at most 7 and 5 km from protected areas, for PV and CSP, respectively. Where energy, food, and conservation goals intersect, environmental compatibility can be achieved when resource opportunities, constraints, and trade-offs are integrated into siting decisions.

Predicting the effects of solar energy development on plants and wildlife in the Desert Southwest, United States

Environmental impacts of utility-scale solar energy

One of the policy options for sustainable urban and regional development is the development of renewable energy by developing utility-scale solar energy. The development of utility-scale solar energy contributes to the improvement of social welfare such as the production of electrical energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, the development of utility-scale solar energy can have a negative impact such as natural landscape change and solid waste. The cost-benefit analysis method can be used to analyze whether the development of utility-scale solar energy improves social welfare. Previous studies have not developed a cost-benefit analysis framework based on a comprehensive life cycle approach. This article closes this knowledge gap. This article aims to develop a comprehensive utility-scale solar energy cost-benefit analysis framework. This article critically reviews the previous literature on the topic of cost-benefit analysis of utility-scale solar energy. Finally, this article proposes an analytical framework and some further research agenda.

Globally attention has always been focused on the pollution and depletion emanating from fossil fuels. The nonconventional energy/renewable energy sources have always been termed as clean and environmentally benign. Utility Scale Solar Energy (USSE) has great potential in providing energy with sustainability to the wide populations especially in African countries with good solar irradiation levels but lack grid connectivity due to the sparse population and the existence of uneven terrain. The penetration level of USSE across the world lies at 15-20%. This slow deployment is attributed to the fact that these technologies requires large tracts of land, which if deployed would in turn lead to habitat fragmentation, emissions (such at particulate matter, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide etc), water pollution among others. The primary contribution of this paper is the development and application of a mathematical based decision-making tool (ECOS model) which permits for quantification of environmental, social and health (externalities) impacts of USSE in order to evaluate the indirect cost while generating energy from them. The model is advantageous than the traditional techno economic modelling tools such as HOMER, HOGA, INSEl, SOMES etc, as it utilizes the probabilistic approach other than the deterministic approach. The levelised externality cost of energy (LECOE) is a discounted summation of all the indirect costs incurred during the lifespan (25 years) of USSE. The levelized cost of Electricity (LCOE) will be used as an economic measuring metric to foretell the economic worthwhile of USSE projects in Kenya. The model used for simulation of a Solar photo-voltaic system in Kakuma-kenya.

With an ever-increasing demand for renewable energy in response to climate change, utility-scale solar energy (USSE) is on the rise, particularly in California. Although solar energy is viewed as an essential resource for transitioning from a fossil fuel economy, USSE installations can cover thousands of acres of habitat used by avian species. Little is known about the effects of USSE on avian populations, although some evidence suggests that USSE facilities may be leading to bird mortality. The lake-effect hypothesis suggests that birds may mistake solar arrays for large bodies of water resulting in injury or mortality. Though several studies describe the direct impacts of USSE on birds, far fewer evaluate indirect effects of USSE on birds. This study used point counts to contrast bird abundance, species richness, bird behavior and human disturbance at the Wright Solar Park (WSP), adjacent grasslands, and agricultural land. The USSE facility had lower bird abundances, species richness, and percent of birds foraging compared to both the grassland and the agricultural sites. These results indicate that USSE facilities should be placed in previously transformed locations especially urban settings that have little to no wildlife value.

Solar energy systems directly benefit the environment by avoiding CO2 emissions that would otherwise be generated from fossil-fuel power plants. Indirect impacts to climate may also result at local-, regional-, and globalscales, but these impacts are as yet poorly understood and characterized. Widespread deployment of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) installations may alter the radiative balance at the land-atmosphere interface by shifting radiative forcing that eventually changes climate. When USSE installations displace cropland or desert surface, this deployment introduces complicated effects on local radiative forcing. This article presents for the first time satellitebased measurements to assess USSE impacts on earth-atmosphere interactions relating to climate feedbacks. Long-term shortwave albedo and longwave emissivity data derived from NASA satellites were used for this case study to assess the potential radiative balance effects of USSE deployment. The results show that USSE deployment appears to change albedo and emissivity. Albedo decreased and emissivity generally increased in two of three instances when a USSE installation was constructed in semi-arid regions.

Spatial disparity of utility-scale solar energy and the role of solar policy in the U.S.

The only breeding population of the endangered Florida pantherPuma concolor coryiis restricted to <5% of its historic range in South Florida, but this area may be at carrying capacity and three viable populations within the historic range are needed for species recovery. The number of utility‐scale solar energy (USSE) facility installations is increasing rapidly throughout Florida, and while important in combatting carbon emissions and climate change, they pose additional threats to Florida panther habitat and dispersal corridors.We compared Florida panther habitat suitability and connectivity pre‐ and post‐installation of 45 USSE facilities within Peninsular Florida using random forest to predict probability of presence in 1 km2cells and circuit theory (Circuitscape 4.0) to predict movement probability between the areas of suitable habitat.We found that most often solar facilities were installed on grasslands and pastures (45.7% of total area replaced by solar facilities) and agricultural lands (34.9%). Forest was the third most impacted land cover category (13.2%). Probability of presence in the 351 impacted cells decreased by 0.03.The major changes in current density occurred within the cells overlapped by the facilities and within their vicinity. Post‐installation effective resistance between core areas increased by 0.07%.Nine facilities were located within major corridors connecting the only breeding population with other areas with the potential to support populations of Florida panther, 26 facilities were located within lesser current density areas that maintain some dispersal capacity and six facilities had no, or very minimal, potential expected impact on connectivity (four were excluded from the analysis).Our findings suggest a substantial bias in the locating of USSE facilities within rural and undeveloped lands that may provide connectivity sufficient for Florida panther dispersal to habitat suitable for population establishment. Our research is the first study documenting the effect of USSE facilities on both habitat suitability and regional‐scale connectivity of suitable habitat for any large carnivore.Synthesis and applications. Current permitting review methodologies resulting in USSE (utility‐scale solar energy) facilities installation approval may be inadequate, and facility siting should consider landscape‐level connectivity in addition to environmental impacts within facility boundaries.

Despite the benefits of reduced toxic and carbon emissions and a perpetual energy resource, there is potential for negative environmental impacts resulting from utility-scale solar energy (USSE) development. Although USSE development may represent an avian mortality source, there is little knowledge regarding the magnitude of these impacts in the context of other avian mortality sources. In this study we present a first assessment of avian mortality at USSE facilities through a synthesis of available avian monitoring and mortality information at existing USSE facilities. Using this information, we contextualize USSE avian mortality relative to other forms of avian mortality at 2 spatial scales: a regional scale (confined to southern California) and a national scale. Systematic avian mortality information was available for three USSE facilities in the southern California region. We estimated annual USSE-related avian mortality to be between 16,200 and 59,400 birds in the southern California region, which was extrapolated to between 37,800 and 138,600 birds for all USSE facilities across the United States that are either installed or under construction. We also discuss issues related to avian–solar interactions that should be addressed in future research and monitoring programs.

The rapid expansion of Utility‐Scale Solar Energy (USSE) is expected to meet economic and environmental challenges that society faces today and in the future. Yet there is a paucity of comprehensive research on biodiversity responses to USSE. Here we investigated the impact of USSE on species movements via the correlations between landscape connectivity modeling and the similarity of butterfly communities given their life‐history traits. Our results suggest that mobile butterflies cope with USSE while interpatch movement of sedentary butterflies does not depend on landscape structure. We provide land‐managers and energy‐developers with an innovative tool to assess the ecological integration of USSE. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 36: 1817–1823, 2017

Solar energy is rapidly growing to decarbonize the electrical grid. Maintaining ecosystem function with solar energy generation can be promoted through construction methods that minimize negative impacts on soils and vegetation. However, the disturbance created by less‐impactful construction methods at utility‐scale solar energy (USSE) facilities and the ecosystem responses remain relatively unknown. We monitored soils and vegetation before and after the USSE build‐out to assess the short‐term impacts of construction on soils and vegetation at the Gemini Solar Project in the Mojave Desert. The facility was constructed with methods intended to be less impactful than traditional techniques. Our goal was to answer three questions: (1) What are the short‐term effects of construction on soils and vegetation? (2) Do construction effects vary by the initial plant community and soil type? and (3) Does disturbance intensity from construction affect soil and vegetation response? We found strong evidence that the construction of the Gemini facility increased bare soil and soil compaction, and decreased dark biocrust cover and soil stability in the short term. For every 1% increase in disturbance intensity, we found a 0.23% increase in bare soil cover and a 0.10% decrease in dark biocrust cover. Plant responses varied more than soil responses and depended on the initial plant community and soil type, with decreases in plant canopy cover highest in sandy soils dominated by creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and white bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) shrubs. Synthesis and applications: Many impacts of USSE facility construction depend on the underlying vegetation and soils and the level of disturbance intensity. The use of less‐impactful construction methods, including a combination of overland travel and drive‐and‐crush examined in our study, can ameliorate negative effects relative to traditional construction practices and provide a pathway to maintain ecosystem function.