EGU24-195, updated on 14 Mar 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-195
EGU General Assembly 2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

An observational study on the microclimate and soil thermal regimes under solar photovoltaic arrays

Junqing Zheng1, Yong Luo2, Rui Chang3, and Xiaoqing Gao4
Junqing Zheng et al.
  • 1Tsinghua University, Department of Earth System Science, China (zjq22@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn)
  • 2Tsinghua University, Department of Earth System Science, China (yongluo@tsinghua.edu.cn)
  • 3National Climate Center of CMA, China (changrui@cma.gov.cn)
  • 4Key Laboratory of Land Surface Process and Climate Change in Cold and Arid Regions, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (xqgao@lzb.ac.cn)

The high demand for low-carbon energy sources to mitigate climate change has prompted a rapid increase in ground-mounted solar parks. The implementation of photovoltaic (PV) significantly impacted the local climate and ecosystem, which are both poorly understood. To investigate the effects of a typical solar park on the Gobi ecological system, local microclimate and soil thermal regimes were measured year-round under and between PV arrays, at an applied solar park sited in Xinjiang, China. Our results demonstrated their seasonal and diurnal changes. Under solar PV arrays, the mean annual net radiation and wind speed decreased by 92.68% and 50.53% respectively. In contrast, PV panels caused an increase of the rear sides air by 10.12% with 0.87°C. South-facing PV panels reduced wind speed with the prevailing northerly wind below. In addition, the relative humidity rapidly decreased when snow covered the ground, but slightly increased from April to September. We found the soil under PV panels was cooler and tended to be a sink of energy during spring and summer whereas was more often a source during autumn and winter compared with the soil between PV panels. Observed data developed the understanding of the energy processes of solar parks in Gobi ecosystems and provided evidence to support the sustainable management of the solar park.

References:

Zheng, J., Luo, Y., Chang, R., and Gao, X., 2023. An observational study on the microclimate and soil thermal regimes under solar photovoltaic arrays. Solar Energy. 266, 112159.

How to cite: Zheng, J., Luo, Y., Chang, R., and Gao, X.: An observational study on the microclimate and soil thermal regimes under solar photovoltaic arrays, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-195, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-195, 2024.