Ecological restoration of solar park plant communities and the effect of solar panels

• Published in: Ecological engineering 2022-09, Vol.182, p.106722, Article 106722
• Main Authors: Lambert, Quentin, Gros, Raphael, Bischoff, Armin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences
• ISSN: 0925-8574; 1872-6992
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106722

The construction of solar parks leads to soil degradation and the destruction of vegetation. Solar panels change the microclimate affecting plant survival and vegetation development. The increasing solar energy production requires solutions for ecological restoration from the beginning of electricity production. We compared three methods to restore Mediterranean dry grasslands as a target community not affecting solar energy production: seed material transfer, sowing of the target species Brachypodium retusum and an increase in soil organic matter by compost addition. The experiment was set up in a solar park located in South-Eastern France, both outside and below solar panels (SP). After four years, seed material transfer was the best method to initiate plant succession towards the reference community. SP hampered restoration success and strongly reduced plant species richness, in particular of species from the reference community. B. retusum survival decreased by 50% and phytometabolic indices revealed a light stress under SP. However, the species still maintained growth similar to plants outside SP suggesting shade tolerance. Long-term monitoring is required to evaluate whether communities better adapted to light reduction under panels need to be taken into account for successful restoration.