However, the currently available evidence regarding the effects of photovoltaic installations on biodiversity is still scarce. More research is urgently needed on non-flying mammals and bats as well as amphibians and reptiles. Solar thermal panels and floating PV installations should also be further investigated.
Locating solar facilities in areas with minimal impact on wildlife and their habitats is crucial. Design features that reduce the risk of wildlife interactions with solar panels are another effective measure. For instance, solar panels can be installed on raised platforms or at a tilted angle to reduce the likelihood of wildlife collisions.
The installation of residential solar panels, when carried out correctly, is not believed to cause harm to wildlife. Unlike large solar farms, residential and commercial solar installations occupy a significantly smaller footprint and are generally placed on existing structures like rooftops, so they have less potential to disrupt natural habitats.
Such PV panels can be installed on rooftops, in ground-mounted utility-scale facilities, which are often called Utility-Scale Solar Energy (USSE) facilities, or on water such as on the sea, lakes, reservoirs or canals [9, 10, 11]—often called floatovoltaics or floating PV/solar facilities.
But that puts solar installations in prime agricultural territory. Floating PV, or floatovoltaics, offers a way to expand solar without occupying farmland. The Netherlands has the largest such installation in Europe. Located in Zwolle, the Bomhofsplas solar farm consists of 72,000 solar panels floating on a lake in an old sandpit.
As the number of solar farms in the UK increases, there is growing interest in the interactions of wildlife with ground-mounted solar photovoltaic panels. Evidence of whether operational solar farms impact on biodiversity remains limited, however, particularly in a UK context.