Solar plantations killing off soil

Researchers making recommendations to mitigate panels harm

- DR FABIO CARVALHO

GROUND-MOUNTED solar installations are becoming a familiar sight across the UK's agricultural landscape.

While they are claimed to be important in reducing carbon emissions, their overall impact on the land they are built on remains uncertain.

A new study from Lancaster University Environment Centre examined some of these effects and how they could be addressed.

Dr. Fabio Carvalho, Prof. Alona Armstrong and Dr. Stuart Sharp, working in partnership with ecological consultants and others, examined 32 installations during the summer of 2021 to assess plant cover, soil health, and overall ecosystem functionality.

Their analyses focused on three key areas within and around solar installations: directly beneath the panels, the gaps between panel rows, and adjacent pastureland, which served as a control.

Plant growth and biomass were significantly lower beneath the panels than the gaps between them or open pastureland, a reduction attributed to decreased sunlight and changes in the microclimate under the panels.