Articles | Volume 25, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11301-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-11301-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Sep 2025
Research article |
| 25 Sep 2025
| 25 Sep 2025
Environmental impacts of pastoral-integrated photovoltaic power plant in an alpine meadow on the eastern Tibetan Plateau
Shaoying Wang
Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Zoige Plateau Wetlands Ecosystem Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Xianhong Meng
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Zoige Plateau Wetlands Ecosystem Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Qian Li
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Shannxi Province Climate Center, Xi'an, 710014, China
Zhenchao Li
State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Peipei Yang
State Grid Lanzhou Electric Power Supply Company, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Wenzhen Niu
Wuling Power Ningxia Representative Office, Yinchuan, 750000, China
Lunyu Shang
Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Zoige Plateau Wetlands Ecosystem Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China
Related authors
Yerong Gao, Suosuo Li, Haipeng Yu, Shaoying Wang, Yongjie Pan, and Zongming Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5170, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5170, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
This study revealed the temporal variations of carbon fluxes, water flux, and water use efficiency (WUE) in alpine meadows across daily, monthly—seasonal, and inter-annual timescales. Confirmed that the driving factors of carbon-water coupling are different at different time scales. Quantified the alpine meadow as a multi-year carbon sink, providing a basis for predicting grassland ecosystem responses to future climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
Yerong Gao, Suosuo Li, Haipeng Yu, Shaoying Wang, Yongjie Pan, and Zongming Li
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5170, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-5170, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
Short summary
Short summary
This study revealed the temporal variations of carbon fluxes, water flux, and water use efficiency (WUE) in alpine meadows across daily, monthly—seasonal, and inter-annual timescales. Confirmed that the driving factors of carbon-water coupling are different at different time scales. Quantified the alpine meadow as a multi-year carbon sink, providing a basis for predicting grassland ecosystem responses to future climate change on the Tibetan Plateau.
Yaoming Ma, Zhipeng Xie, Yingying Chen, Shaomin Liu, Tao Che, Ziwei Xu, Lunyu Shang, Xiaobo He, Xianhong Meng, Weiqiang Ma, Baiqing Xu, Huabiao Zhao, Junbo Wang, Guangjian Wu, and Xin Li
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3017–3043, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3017-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3017-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Current models and satellites struggle to accurately represent the land–atmosphere (L–A) interactions over the Tibetan Plateau. We present the most extensive compilation of in situ observations to date, comprising 17 years of data on L–A interactions across 12 sites. This quality-assured benchmark dataset provides independent validation to improve models and remote sensing for the region, and it enables new investigations of fine-scale L–A processes and their mechanistic drivers.
Lele Shu, Xiaodong Li, Yan Chang, Xianhong Meng, Hao Chen, Yuan Qi, Hongwei Wang, Zhaoguo Li, and Shihua Lyu
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 28, 1477–1491, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1477-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-28-1477-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a new model to better understand how water moves in a lake basin. Our model improves upon previous methods by accurately capturing the complexity of water movement, both on the surface and subsurface. Our model, tested using data from China's Qinghai Lake, accurately replicates complex water movements and identifies contributing factors of the lake's water balance. The findings provide a robust tool for predicting hydrological processes, aiding water resource planning.
Lele Shu, Paul Ullrich, Xianhong Meng, Christopher Duffy, Hao Chen, and Zhaoguo Li
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 497–527, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-497-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-497-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our team developed rSHUD v2.0, a toolkit that simplifies the use of the SHUD, a model simulating water movement in the environment. We demonstrated its effectiveness in two watersheds, one in the USA and one in China. The toolkit also facilitated the creation of the Global Hydrological Data Cloud, a platform for automatic data processing and model deployment, marking a significant advancement in hydrological research.
Yaling Chen, Jun Wen, Xianhong Meng, Qiang Zhang, Xiaoyue Li, and Ge Zhang
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-409, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-2022-409, 2023
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
In this research, the effects of climate change on land surface and water cycle processes and the feedback of land-hydrological process to precipitation over the Source Region of the Yellow River. We find that the coupled process improves the simulation results for temperature, radiation, water-heat exchange fluxes, and soil temperature and moisture, but slightly increases the wet bias of the precipitation and evapotranspiration due to the consideration of lateral flow.
Cited articles
Allen, R. G., Pereira, L. S., Raes, D., and Smith, M.: Crop evapotranspiration – Guidelines for computing crop water requirements, FAO Irrigation and drainage paper 56, FAO, Rome, ISBN 92-5-104219-5, 1998.
Armstrong, A., Waldron, S., Whitaker, J., and Ostle, N. J.: Wind farm and solar park effects on plant–soil carbon cycling: uncertain impacts of changes in ground-level microclimate, Global Change Biology, 20, 1699–1706, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12437, 2014.
Armstrong, A., Ostle, N. J., and Whitaker, J.: Solar park microclimate and vegetation management effects on grassland carbon cycling, Environmental Research Letters, 11, 074016, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/7/074016, 2016.
Barron-Gafford, G. A., Minor, R. L., Allen, N. A., Cronin, A. D., Brooks, A. E., and Pavao-Zuckerman, M. A.: The Photovoltaic Heat Island Effect: Larger solar power plants increase local temperatures, Scientific Reports, 6, 35070, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35070, 2016.
Broadbent, A. M., Krayenhoff, E. S., Georgescu, M., and Sailor, D. J.: The observed effects of utility-scale photovoltaics on near-surface air temperature and energy balance, Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 58, 989–1006, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0271.1, 2019.
Campbell, G. S. and Norman, J. M.: Radiation Basics, in: An Introduction to Environmental Biophysics, edited by: Campbell, G. S. and Norman, J. M., Springer New York, New York, NY, 147–165, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1626-1_10, 1998.
Chang, R., Shen, Y., Luo, Y., Wang, B., Yang, Z., and Guo, P.: Observed surface radiation and temperature impacts from the large-scale deployment of photovoltaics in the barren area of Gonghe, China, Renewable Energy, 118, 131–137, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.11.007, 2018.
Chen, H., Ju, P., Zhu, Q., Xu, X., Wu, N., Gao, Y., Feng, X., Tian, J., Niu, S., Zhang, Y., Peng, C., and Wang, Y.: Carbon and nitrogen cycling on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3, 701–716, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00344-2, 2022.
Chen, L., Liang, J., Qin, S., Liu, L., Fang, K., Xu, Y., Ding, J., Li, F., Luo, Y., and Yang, Y.: Determinants of carbon release from the active layer and permafrost deposits on the Tibetan Plateau, Nature Communications, 7, 13046, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms13046, 2016.
Choi, C. S., Macknick, J., McCall, J., Bertel, R., and Ravi, S.: Multi-year analysis of physical interactions between solar PV arrays and underlying soil-plant complex in vegetated utility-scale systems, Applied Energy, 365, 123227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123227, 2024.
Elith, J., Leathwick, J. R., and Hastie, T.: A working guide to boosted regression trees, Journal of Animal Ecology, 77, 802–813, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2008.01390.x, 2008.
Fthenakis, V. and Yu, Y.: Analysis of the potential for a heat island effect in large solar farms, 2013 IEEE 39th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC), 3362–3366, https://doi.org/10.1109/PVSC.2013.6745171, 2013.
IEA: World Energy Outlook 2022, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/3a469970-en, 2022.
Jiang, J., Gao, X., Lv, Q., Li, Z., and Li, P.: Observed impacts of utility-scale photovoltaic plant on local air temperature and energy partitioning in the barren areas, Renewable Energy, 174, 157–169, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.03.148, 2021.
Jury, W. A. and Horton, R.: Soil physics, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-0-471-05965-3, 2004.
Kan, A., Zeng, Y., Meng, X., Wang, D., Xina, J., Yang, X., and Tesren, L.: The linkage between renewable energy potential and sustainable development: Understanding solar energy variability and photovoltaic power potential in Tibet, China, Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments, 48, 101551, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seta.2021.101551, 2021.
Keiko, S., Sinha, S., Birendra, K., and Kojima, T.: Self Cooling Mechanism in Photovoltaic Cells and Its Impact on Heat Island Effect from Very Large Scale PV Systems in Deserts, Journal of Arid Land Studies, 19, 5–8, 2009.
Li, M., Virguez, E., Shan, R., Tian, J., Gao, S., and Patiño-Echeverri, D.: High-resolution data shows China's wind and solar energy resources are enough to support a 2050 decarbonized electricity system, Applied Energy, 306, 117996, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.117996, 2022a.
Li, P., Gao, X., Li, Z., Ye, T., and Zhou, X.: Effects of fishery complementary photovoltaic power plant on near-surface meteorology and energy balance, Renewable Energy, 187, 698–709, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2022.01.118, 2022b.
Li, Y., Kalnay, E., Motesharrei, S., Rivas, J., Kucharski, F., Kirk-Davidoff, D., Bach, E., and Zeng, N.: Climate model shows large-scale wind and solar farms in the Sahara increase rain and vegetation, Science, 361, 1019–1022, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar5629, 2018.
Li, Z., Zhao, Y., Luo, Y., Yang, L., Li, P., Jin, X., Jiang, J., Liu, R., and Gao, X.: A comparative study on the surface radiation characteristics of photovoltaic power plant in the Gobi desert, Renewable Energy, 182, 764–771, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2021.10.054, 2022c.
Lu, Z., Zhang, Q., Miller, P. A., Zhang, Q., Berntell, E., and Smith, B.: Impacts of Large-Scale Sahara Solar Farms on Global Climate and Vegetation Cover, Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL090789, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090789, 2021.
Luo, S., Wang, J., Pomeroy, J. W., and Lyu, S.: Freeze–Thaw Changes of Seasonally Frozen Ground on the Tibetan Plateau from 1960 to 2014, Journal of Climate, 33, 9427–9446, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-19-0923.1, 2020.
Lyu, X., Li, X., Wei, H., Wu, J., Dang, D., Zhang, C., Wang, K., and Lou, A.: Mapping of Utility-Scale Solar Panel Areas From 2000 to 2022 in China Using Google Earth Engine, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, 17, 18083–18095, https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3468627, 2024.
Ma, L., Zhang, Z., Shi, G., Su, H., Qin, R., Chang, T., Wei, J., Zhou, C., Hu, X., Shao, X., Sun, J., and Zhou, H.: Warming changed the relationship between species diversity and primary productivity of alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau, Ecological Indicators, 145, 109691, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109691, 2022.
Mauder, M., Cuntz, M., Drüe, C., Graf, A., Rebmann, C., Schmid, H. P., Schmidt, M., and Steinbrecher, R.: A strategy for quality and uncertainty assessment of long-term eddy-covariance measurements, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 169, 122–135, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.09.006, 2013.
Prăvălie, R., Patriche, C., and Bandoc, G.: Spatial assessment of solar energy potential at global scale. A geographical approach, Journal of Cleaner Production, 209, 692–721, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.10.239, 2019.
Stern, R., Muller, J. D., Rotenberg, E., Amer, M., Segev, L., and Yakir, D.: Photovoltaic fields largely outperform afforestation efficiency in global climate change mitigation strategies, PNAS Nexus, 2, pgad352, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad352, 2023.
Taha, H.: The potential for air-temperature impact from large-scale deployment of solar photovoltaic arrays in urban areas, Solar Energy, 91, 358–367, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2012.09.014, 2013.
Tang, W., Yang, K., Qin, J., and Min, M.: Development of a 50-year daily surface solar radiation dataset over China, Science China Earth Sciences, 56, 1555–1565, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-012-4542-9, 2013.
Wang, L., Gesang, Q., Luo, J., Wu, X., Rebi, A., You, Y., and Zhou, J.: Drivers of plant diversification along an altitudinal gradient in the alpine desert grassland, Northern Tibetan Plateau, Global Ecology and Conservation, 53, e02987, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02987, 2024a.
Wang, Q. and Qiu, H.-N.: Situation and outlook of solar energy utilization in Tibet, China, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 13, 2181–2186, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2009.03.011, 2009.
Wang, X., Zhou, Q., Zhang, Y., Liu, X., Liu, J., Chen, S., Wang, X., and Wu, J.: Diurnal Asymmetry Effects of Photovoltaic Power Plants on Land Surface Temperature in Gobi Deserts, Remote Sensing, 16, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16101711, 2024b.
Wei, S., Ziegler, A. D., Qin, Y., Wang, D., Chen, Y., Yan, J., and Zeng, Z.: Small reduction in land surface albedo due to solar panel expansion worldwide, Communications Earth & Environment, 5, 474, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01619-w, 2024.
Wu, C., Liu, H., Yu, Y., Zhao, W., Liu, J., Yu, H., and Yetemen, O.: Ecohydrological effects of photovoltaic solar farms on soil microclimates and moisture regimes in arid Northwest China: A modeling study, Science of The Total Environment, 802, 149946, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149946, 2022.
Xu, Z., Li, Y., Qin, Y., and Bach, E.: A global assessment of the effects of solar farms on albedo, vegetation, and land surface temperature using remote sensing, Solar Energy, 268, 112198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.112198, 2024.
Yang, K., Wu, H., Qin, J., Lin, C., Tang, W., and Chen, Y.: Recent climate changes over the Tibetan Plateau and their impacts on energy and water cycle: A review, Global and Planetary Change, 112, 79–91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.12.001, 2014.
Yang, L., Gao, X., Lv, F., Hui, X., Ma, L., and Hou, X.: Study on the local climatic effects of large photovoltaic solar farms in desert areas, Solar Energy, 144, 244–253, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2017.01.015, 2017.
Yao, T., Bolch, T., Chen, D., Gao, J., Immerzeel, W., Piao, S., Su, F., Thompson, L., Wada, Y., Wang, L., Wang, T., Wu, G., Xu, B., Yang, W., Zhang, G., and Zhao, P.: The imbalance of the Asian water tower, Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3, 618–632, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00299-4, 2022.
Ying, J., Li, Z., Yang, L., Jiang, Y., Luo, Y., and Gao, X.: The characteristics and parameterizations of the surface albedo of a utility-scale photovoltaic plant in the Gobi Desert, Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 151, 1469–1481, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-022-04337-5, 2023.
You, Q., Wu, F., Shen, L., Pepin, N., Jiang, Z., and Kang, S.: Tibetan Plateau amplification of climate extremes under global warming of 1.5 °C, 2 °C and 3 °C, Global and Planetary Change, 192, 103261, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103261, 2020.
Yue, S., Guo, M., Zou, P., Wu, W., and Zhou, X.: Effects of photovoltaic panels on soil temperature and moisture in desert areas, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 17506–17518, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11742-8, 2021.
Zhao, D., Zhu, Y., Wu, S., and Zheng, D.: Projection of vegetation distribution to 1.5 °C and 2 °C of global warming on the Tibetan Plateau, Global and Planetary Change, 202, 103525, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103525, 2021.
Zheng, J., Luo, Y., Chang, R., and Gao, X.: An observational study on the microclimate and soil thermal regimes under solar photovoltaic arrays, Solar Energy, 266, 112159, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2023.112159, 2023.
Zheng, J., Yin, Y., and Li, B.: A new scheme for climate regionalization in China, Acta Geographica Sinica, 65, 3–12, https://doi.org/10.11821/xb201001002, 2010.
Short summary
As solar energy expands, its effects on ecosystems remain unclear, especially in fragile alpine regions like the Tibetan Plateau. We studied a photovoltaic power plant's impact on climate and soil. The panels increased radiation, reduced wind, and caused daytime warming but nighttime cooling. Soil stayed colder and wetter, extending the frozen period by 50 days. These changes may help stabilize permafrost but could also affect biodiversity and water cycles.
As solar energy expands, its effects on ecosystems remain unclear, especially in fragile alpine...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint