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Environment & Energy

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OKIsItJustMe

(21,063 posts)
Wed Jul 13, 2016, 06:01 PM Jul 2016

Solar panels (solar parks) study reveals impact on the earth (micro climates) [View all]

http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/articles/2016/solar-panels-study-reveals-impact-on-the-earth/
[font face=Serif][font size=5]Solar panels study reveals impact on the earth[/font]

12 July 2016 10:51

[font size=4]Researchers have produced the first detailed study of the impact of solar parks on the environment, opening the door to smarter forms of farming and better land management.[/font]

[font size=3]…

They found that solar parks altered the local climate, measuring cooling of as much as 5 degrees Centigrade under the panels during the summer but the effects varied depending on the time of year and the time of day.



Their paper 'Solar park microclimate and vegetation management effects on grassland carbon cycling' is published in the Journal Environmental Research Letters.



Dr Armstrong added: “This understanding becomes even more compelling when applied to areas that are very sunny that may also suffer water shortages. The shade under the panels may allow crops to be grown that can’t survive in full sun. Also, water losses may be reduced and water could be collected from the large surfaces of the solar panels and used for crop irrigation.”[/font][/font]
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