Study
Outlines Advantages of Solar on Rooftops, Other Developed Areas
By UC Davis
To watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TINHeMuwg8
A study provides the most complete list yet of the advantages of solar energy — from carbon sequestration to improvements for pollinator habitat. The paper offers a new framework for analyzing solar projects to better understand the full suite of benefits.
The study, published in Nature Sustainability,
was conducted by researchers from the University of California,
Davis; Lancaster University in the United Kingdom; the Center for
Biological Diversity; and 10 other organizations.
It suggests a
framework for understanding more completely, and ultimately quantifying, the
benefits of solar energy, identifying 20 frequently overlooked advantages. For
example, solar panels paired with native plant restoration can add habitat
while also increasing panel efficiency.
The study also marks
the launch of a partnership between the Center for Biological Diversity and UC
Davis to advance a “Wild Energy” future, which emphasizes the
potential of solar energy systems to benefit not only humans, but the entire
planet.
“The first step in
creating a wild-energy future is understanding the true value of solar,” said
lead author Rebecca R. Hernandez, assistant professor at UC Davis’ John Muir
Institute of the Environment.
“By valuing all the benefits of renewable energy, we can start to build an energy system that’s beneficial for people, wildlife and wild places.”
“By valuing all the benefits of renewable energy, we can start to build an energy system that’s beneficial for people, wildlife and wild places.”
“Solar energy has way
more benefits than most people imagine,” said Greer Ryan, a renewable energy
and research specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity and co-author of
the paper.
“We’re hoping utilities, regulators and legislators will now have a better sense of the importance of solar energy, which will lead to the expansion of rooftop solar, more community solar development and lower prices for everyone.”
“We’re hoping utilities, regulators and legislators will now have a better sense of the importance of solar energy, which will lead to the expansion of rooftop solar, more community solar development and lower prices for everyone.”
Solar energy is the
fastest-growing source of power worldwide. In 2019, solar is expected to
provide more than 30 percent of all new U.S. electric capacity. According to
the International Energy Agency, solar energy could become the largest
electricity source by 2050. Solar has many advantages beyond providing power,
particularly when built to maximize social, technological and environmental
benefits.
“As governments
increasingly commit to 100 percent renewable energy, they should valuate and
appropriately incentivize the synergies outlined in this study,” said Alona
Armstrong of Lancaster University and the paper’s second author. “This would
maximize solar energy generation potential while protecting our planet’s
climate, air quality, water, land and wildlife.”
Results
In the report, the
authors:
- Suggest a model for engineering solar energy systems that maximizes both technological and ecological benefits.
- Create a framework for characterizing 20 benefits of installations on different spaces, including rooftop solar; solar on contaminated land; solar over functional bodies of water like reservoirs, water treatment areas and irrigation canals; and solar co-located with agriculture and grazing.
- Make the case for understanding that as renewable energy development is ramped up to address the climate crisis, it shouldn’t create unnecessary negative impacts, especially when technology and resources are available to maximize positive effects.
- Suggest how this framework might be useful in policy and regulatory decision-making in order to ensure a sustainable energy transition.
