Solar energy storage in the wild

Climate change mitigation. Solar energy development benefits wildlife by mitigating climate change, which is a major threat to wildlife and wildlife habitat. Research areas of interest include:

The extent to which habitat loss and fragmentation from solar development has already occurred and its impacts on habitat connectivity. The efficacy of wildlife corridors and wildlife-friendly fencing in mitigating adverse impacts from habitat loss and fragmentation.

On-site plant and animal habitat. Solar energy facilities can implement strategies to manage on-site habitat for the benefit of native wildlife communities (e.g., seeding with native plants). Research areas of interest include:

Joined by researchers from 11 other organizations, the study authors set out “ a framework for understanding more completely, and ultimately quantifying, the benefits of solar energy ” that they've dubbed Wild Energy.

Non-traditional siting. Implementing non-traditional siting strategies (e.g., agrivoltaics) and selecting non-traditional sites (floating photovoltaics or contaminated lands) can help reduce the adverse impacts of utility-scale solar energy on wildlife by reducing the total amount of high-quality wildlife habitat required for solar development.

Collisions with supporting infrastructure. The various structures needed to operate a solar energy facility (e.g., PV panels, overhead transmission lines, CSP towers) have the potential to pose a collision risk to wildlife, which may lead to injuries or fatalities. Research areas of interest include: