Letting the sunshine in and monitoring stormwater runoff
As the buzz around renewable energy grows louder, a research endeavor led by the Water Center at Penn exemplifies of how addressing energy demands goes hand-in-hand with tackling water challenges.
2 min. read
On both traditional and solar farms, sunlight gets converted into usable energy. Utility-scale solar arrays, however, can impact the local water cycle in ways that are quite different from a traditional agricultural field. Imagine rain falling on the impermeable surface of photovoltaic (PV) cells dotted across a field: One can easily grasp that the rain will converge and drain differently in that landscape compared to a field of wheat or corn, with potential impacts on soil moisture, stormwater runoff, and groundwater recharge.
Trees planted next to the solar panels are enhancing stormwater runoff infiltration.
(Image: The Water Center at Penn)
However, thoughtfully designed solar arrays that incorporate sustainable stormwater management practices can mitigate the potential impacts of PV development. Given that transforming sunlight into electricity is an important strategy for addressing the climate crisis and enhancing energy security, investigating solar farms’ stormwater runoff and identifying monitoring strategies is crucial for a sustainable future.
The site incorporates intentional design choices to help manage stormwater, including a fully vegetated landscape beneath the panels, rain basins to protect power substations critical for transforming and transporting electricity, and trackers that adjust the panels’ direction following the sunlight throughout the day rather than positioning them at a fixed tilt.
Additionally, AES added plants that attract pollinators and facilitate infiltration. To maintain the vegetative cover, the site also hosts sheep that graze the project area, creating new revenue streams for local farmers. As part of designing a monitoring framework, the Penn team, with input from AES, will survey the performance of stormwater management infrastructure.
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