Research Projects

Large-scale solar parks with contiguous arrangements of photovoltaic plates are the cornerstone of India’s energy transition and the journey towards NetZero by 2070. India has set an ambitious target of 500 GW of solar power by 2030, which will meet nearly 50% of its energy requirement. Implementing such mega energy transition requires the construction of multiple large-scale solar power plants across the country. While solar parks are currently exempted from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)-2006 notification to promote faster adoption, their ecological and microclimatic impacts remain poorly understood and fairly contested in the global scientific literature. Studies from Global North suggest the effects of solar parks on albedo, vegetation, and land surface temperature and their consequential environmental impacts in the form of habitat destruction, deterioration of soil physical properties and soil erosion. Contrarily, some studies also documented an increment in species diversity, and livestock grazing activities as the positive outcome of solar parks. Amidst such competing claims, the proposed research aims to conduct an empirical investigation on the pre and post-installation impacts of solar park on microclimate, vegetation dynamics and pollinating potential using the Bhadla Solar Park complex as the study site. The proposed research hypothesises that the large solar parks alter landscape structure and connectivity, and thereby affect ecosystem structure and functioning. To achieve the objectives, the research will undertake a four-step methodology, which would include (a) high-resolution land change modelling (pre and post-phase) (b) vegetation survey and analysis in the solar park and adjacent areas (c) Habitat connectivity and fragmentation modelling using landscape indices and (d) modelling pollination potential. Using state-of-the-art geospatial modelling techniques backed by field observation and primary data generation, the proposed work is expected to fill the existing knowledge gaps on the potential long-term ecological impacts of large solar parks and thereby guide policy planners to ensure optimal decarbonization decisions.