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Modeling the ecosystem services of native vegetation management practices at solar energy facilities in the Midwestern United States

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  • Walston, Leroy J.
  • Li, Yudi
  • Hartmann, Heidi M.
  • Macknick, Jordan
  • Hanson, Aaron
  • Nootenboom, Chris
  • Lonsdorf, Eric
  • Hellmann, Jessica

Abstract

The increasing pressure on land resources for food and energy production along with efforts to maintain natural systems necessitates the development of compatible land uses that maximize the co-benefits of multiple ecosystem services. One such land sharing opportunity is the restoration and management of native grassland vegetation beneath ground-mounted solar energy facilities, which can both protect biodiversity and restore related ecosystem services. In this paper, we applied the InVEST modeling framework to investigate the potential response of four ecosystem services (carbon storage, pollinator supply, sediment retention, and water retention) to native grassland habitat restoration at 30 solar facilities across the Midwest United States. Compared to pre-solar agricultural land uses, solar-native grassland habitat produced a 3-fold increase in pollinator supply and a 65% increase in carbon storage potential. We also observed increases in sediment and water retention of over 95% and 19%, respectively. We applied these results to project the potential benefits of adoption of native grassland management practices in current and future solar energy buildout scenarios. Our study demonstrates how multifunctional land uses in agriculture-dominated landscapes may improve the provision of a variety of ecosystem services and improve the landscape compatibility of renewable energy and food production.

Suggested Citation

  • Walston, Leroy J. & Li, Yudi & Hartmann, Heidi M. & Macknick, Jordan & Hanson, Aaron & Nootenboom, Chris & Lonsdorf, Eric & Hellmann, Jessica, 2021. "Modeling the ecosystem services of native vegetation management practices at solar energy facilities in the Midwestern United States," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoser:v:47:y:2021:i:c:s2212041620301698
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoser.2020.101227
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Amarachi Kalu & Janja Vrzel & Sebastian Kolb & Juergen Karl & Philip Marzahn & Fabian Pfaffenberger & Ralf Ludwig, 2021. "Considering the Environmental Impacts of Bioenergy Technologies to Support German Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Choi, Chong Seok & Macknick, Jordan & McCall, James & Bertel, Rebecca & Ravi, Sujith, 2024. "Multi-year analysis of physical interactions between solar PV arrays and underlying soil-plant complex in vegetated utility-scale systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 365(C).
    4. Vaverková, Magdalena Daria & Winkler, Jan & Uldrijan, Dan & Ogrodnik, Paweł & Vespalcová, Tereza & Aleksiejuk-Gawron, Joanna & Adamcová, Dana & Koda, Eugeniusz, 2022. "Fire hazard associated with different types of photovoltaic power plants: Effect of vegetation management," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

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