Esperanza C. Iranzo , José Manuel Nicolau, Ramón Reiné, Jaume Tormo

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources is fundamental to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Renewable power capacity is increasing globally, and solar photovoltaic will be the dominant renewable energy source by 2050. Photovoltaic parks require great extensions of land, usually in drylands. But both ecosystems created by solar parks and the effect of solar parks on ecosystems are scarcely studied. This paper reviews the current knowledge on the impact of solar energy production on arid and semiarid ecosystems and describes the structure and functioning of these novel ecosystems, including changes in microclimatic conditions, soil quality, vegetation, and biodiversity and show how these factors hinder the full recovery of ecosystems in the solar parks. Finally, we address the limitations and challenges of restoring ecosystems within photovoltaic power plants and suggest the use of modern ecological restoration techniques and the incorporation of grazing with rational planning to improve the ecosystems in photovoltaic power plants in drylands. In any case, more research is needed to fully understand the long-term impacts of photovoltaic parks on the environment and the evolution of the novel ecosystems in the photovoltaic power plants.