An Australian neighborhood group has launched new steering to assist photo voltaic builders enhance biodiversity on challenge websites and construct belief in neighboring communities with out compromising PV era capability.
From pv journal Australia
The Community Power Agency says its new information gives methods and sensible strategies for builders of large-scale PV tasks to handle land-use conflicts and undertake regenerative farming. strategies, together with “conservoltaics” and “agrivoltaics.”
The New South Wales group mentioned the Building Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms Guide will assist photo voltaic tasks meet new and rising drivers for higher environmental efficiency and administration in areas that they rented or acquired.
“We know from tasks developed in Asia, Europe, the US and now rising in Australia, that conservation and agriculture wouldn’t have to be second finest to renewable power,” mentioned co-author by Heidi McElnea, the regional coordinator of the Community Power Agency.
The information requires builders, landowners, and consultants to undertake a conservoltaic strategy, combining environmental conservation and photo voltaic programs, to depart the pure surroundings of photo voltaic challenge websites in a greater scenario.
Eric Nordbert, a wildlife ecologist on the University of New England who contributed to the information, mentioned photo voltaic farms can enhance biodiversity, much like synthetic reefs in aquatic ecosystems.
“They create structural complexity within the surroundings, providing shelter and habitat for wildlife,” he mentioned. “Solar panels present patches of solar and shade.”
Nordbert mentioned that conservoltaics and agrivoltaics are rising as efficient methods to extend land sharing amongst industries.
“Conservoltaic and regenerative programs provide extra advantages to photo voltaic farms by lowering photo voltaic panel degradation, ambient temperature, and dirt accumulation, whereas concurrently offering habitat for native wildlife,” he mentioned. “Studies in Europe and the US have proven that photo voltaic farms with native crops and wildflowers beneath the panels assist extra biodiversity than farms that serve indigenous communities. crops and adjoining agricultural actions via elevated numbers of bees, butterflies and different pollinators.”
The information states that photo voltaic farms can profit from ecosystem companies offered by a conservoltaic methodology, together with the discount of warmth and dirt, which negatively have an effect on PV panel effectivity, together with erosion prevention, which injury the infrastructure.
If internet hosting photo voltaic infrastructure is to be mixed with grazing, strategic planning ought to start early to find out easy methods to benefit from these collaborative land makes use of.
Guide co-author David Carr, founder and director of environmental companies specialist Stringybark Ecological, mentioned that by integrating biodiversity concerns from the beginning, photo voltaic builders and landowners can -ot many advantages.
“This consists of minimizing detrimental impacts, selling on-site biodiversity enhancement and collaborating with neighboring communities to strengthen native biodiversity,” he mentioned.
The information means that such an strategy might additionally streamline the approval course of by exceeding current authorized necessities, whereas additionally constructing constructive relationships with host communities and lowering conflicts over the usage of land.
The information focuses on the New England Tablelands area of northern New South Wales, however Carr says its rules apply extensively.
“We hope this steering may also present a foundation for motion for different areas the place massive photo voltaic arrays and different infrastructure are deliberate and developed,” he mentioned.
The Building Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms Guide is funded by The Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and will probably be launched in collaboration with the Glen Innes Natural Resources Advisory Committee and Southern New England Landcare.
This content material is protected by copyright and will not be reused. If you wish to cooperate with us and wish to reuse a few of our content material, please contact: [email protected].
