Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy
The recent emergence of agrivoltaic and ecovoltaic approaches to ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) energy provides a much-needed alternative to the environmentally disruptive practices employed in utility-scale solar development. Research on such land-sharing approaches has grown rapidly, with an emp...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research: Energy |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad99dc |
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| _version_ | 1850107062352084992 |
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| author | Taylor Bacon Timothy Ohlert Christopher Toy J Alexander Siggers Matthew A Sturchio |
| author_facet | Taylor Bacon Timothy Ohlert Christopher Toy J Alexander Siggers Matthew A Sturchio |
| author_sort | Taylor Bacon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The recent emergence of agrivoltaic and ecovoltaic approaches to ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) energy provides a much-needed alternative to the environmentally disruptive practices employed in utility-scale solar development. Research on such land-sharing approaches has grown rapidly, with an emphasis on characterizing how PV arrays impact ecosystem processes and agricultural productivity. Although these studies have done well to quantify a variety of dual-use solar practices by employing site-specific sampling designs, this approach has limited our ability to synthesize results across sites, regions, and globally. We call for a network science approach for improved cross-site synthesis of dual-use solar research. We contend that a common approach for data collection and synthesis will facilitate a more rigorous investigation of the agricultural and ecological impacts of PV development across space and over time. The products of this scientifically informed approach can be directly applied to improve sustainable land management. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da60a720e44d40a09224aa815bb114f2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2753-3751 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research: Energy |
| spelling | doaj-art-da60a720e44d40a09224aa815bb114f22025-08-20T02:38:40ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research: Energy2753-37512024-01-011404300210.1088/2753-3751/ad99dcNetwork science can improve the sustainable development of solar energyTaylor Bacon0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1857-8569Timothy Ohlert1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6976-5114Christopher Toy2https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5757-602XJ Alexander Siggers3https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5105-9215Matthew A Sturchio4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5067-3770Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, 80523, United States of AmericaDepartment of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, 80523, United States of AmericaDepartment of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, 80523, United States of AmericaDepartment of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, 80523, United States of AmericaDepartment of Biology and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University , Fort Collins, CO, 80523, United States of America; Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University , Ithaca, NY, 14853, United States of AmericaThe recent emergence of agrivoltaic and ecovoltaic approaches to ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) energy provides a much-needed alternative to the environmentally disruptive practices employed in utility-scale solar development. Research on such land-sharing approaches has grown rapidly, with an emphasis on characterizing how PV arrays impact ecosystem processes and agricultural productivity. Although these studies have done well to quantify a variety of dual-use solar practices by employing site-specific sampling designs, this approach has limited our ability to synthesize results across sites, regions, and globally. We call for a network science approach for improved cross-site synthesis of dual-use solar research. We contend that a common approach for data collection and synthesis will facilitate a more rigorous investigation of the agricultural and ecological impacts of PV development across space and over time. The products of this scientifically informed approach can be directly applied to improve sustainable land management.https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad99dcagrivoltaicsnetwork scienceecovoltaicssolar energysustainability |
| spellingShingle | Taylor Bacon Timothy Ohlert Christopher Toy J Alexander Siggers Matthew A Sturchio Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy Environmental Research: Energy agrivoltaics network science ecovoltaics solar energy sustainability |
| title | Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| title_full | Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| title_fullStr | Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| title_short | Network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| title_sort | network science can improve the sustainable development of solar energy |
| topic | agrivoltaics network science ecovoltaics solar energy sustainability |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad99dc |
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