From a small ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ winery to a large-scale energy project in China, floating photovoltaics — or “floatovoltaics”— are gaining in popularity. Commonly installed over artificial water bodies, from irrigation ponds and reservoirs to wastewater treatment plants, floating solar projects can maximize space for producing clean energy while sparing natural lands.
But where there is water, there are waterbirds. Little is known about the impacts — positive or negative — floating solar projects may have on birds and other wildlife. from the ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ, Davis, published in the journal Nature Water, is among the first to outline key considerations to better align renewable energy and biodiversity goals.
Birds face many threats — from habitat loss and climate change to pollution and avian influenza — and many populations are in decline.
“That’s why it’s so important to understand how waterbirds are going to respond to floating solar and if there is the possibility for conservation concessions at new floating solar facilities,” said corresponding author Elliott Steele, a postdoctoral scholar with the within the . “We want to advance clean energy while promoting healthy, functional environments. Achieving this balance requires that we rigorously study and understand how wildlife responds to floating solar so we can ensure that negative impacts are avoided and potential ecological benefits are realized.”
Five considerations
Drawing from their scientific field observations of birds interacting with floating PV systems, the authors examined various ways such systems could impact birds, and vice versa. They concluded that future research on FPV-waterbirds interactions should examine:
- How waterbirds interact with each part of the floating PV infrastructure.
- The direct and indirect effects waterbirds and floating solar projects may have on each other.
- How bird conservation strategies may vary by site, region or season.
- How to best monitor waterbirds at floating solar sites.
- The potential for pollutants to be released or leached from floating solar infrastructure and what can be done to mitigate risks.
“Our team has been documenting such a diversity of bird behavior with floating PV, so we immediately knew this was a very important interaction, especially given the precipitous decline in waterbird numbers globally,” said senior author and UC Davis Professor Rebecca R. Hernandez, director of the UC Davis Wild Energy Center. “Humans are also responding to waterbirds on floating PV, sometimes with deterrence. We leveraged our team’s ex