TotalEnergies, CTFC and UAM are the initiators of the Steppe Forward Chairwhich has just published the largest review of scientific literature conducted to date, on the biodiversity and solar parks.
The Steppe Forward seatpromoted by the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), the Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC) and the multi-energy company, TotalEnergieshas published the largest overview of existing scientific knowledge to date on the relationship between biodiversity and photovoltaic generation installations.
The results of this research, published in Conservation Letters, will contribute to a transition to renewable energies that are more compatible with the environment and supported by scientific evidence.
Solar energy and biodiversity
This study analyzed 180 scientific articles published since 2010, a period in which the exponential growth of photovoltaic solar energy sources It has not been matched at the same level by the growth of research into its effects on the environment, although this area of interest has grown in the scientific community. In concrete terms, the articles have been multiplied by 25 in the period 2010-2023.
The article concludes that it is necessary to deepen research into the relationship between biodiversity and photovoltaic generation from solar energy on various priority axes: the use that fauna makes of solar parks, the impact of specific configurations such as the relationship with the existing landscape and the effectiveness of compensation measures.
They can all contribute to the emergence of so-called conserved systems, that is, systems that consider actions to combine energy production and conservation and in which maximize the synergies between biodiversity, territory and solar park.
A reference repository on solar photovoltaic development and biodiversity
To strengthen its commitment to the transfer of scientific knowledge, the Steppe Forward Chair has established on its website the Observatory for Scientific Literature Related to the Solar photovoltaics and biodiversity.
It is a repository of world reference bibliographies on the development of renewable photovoltaic energy and its relationship with biodiversity in all its dimensions (effect, compensatory measures, recovery, coexistence…).
This bank of scientific literature, available in English and Spanish, is open to all interested in the sector and society in general. In this way, the chairman consolidates his role as international reference in the study of the relationship between renewable energy sources and biodiversity.
Thanks to this compilation of material it has been possible to delve deeper into the relationship that exists between the expansion of photovoltaic solar energy through the installation of parks and systems for self-consumption and biodiversity local and general.