Renewable energies and biodiversity: Impact of ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic sites on bat activity ...

• Main Authors: Tinsley, Elizabeth, Froidevaux, Jérémy S. P., Zsebők, Sándor, Szabadi, Kriszta Lilla, Jones, Gareth
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Zenodo 2023
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Chordata; Animalia; bats; bat; Pipistrellus pipistrellus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13423510; https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.13423510

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Abstract Renewable energy is growing at a rapid pace globally but as yet there has been little research on the effects of ground‐mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) developments on bats, many species of which are threatened or protected. We conducted a paired study at 19 ground‐mounted solar PV developments in southwest England. We used static detectors to record bat echolocation calls from boundaries (i.e. hedgerows) and central locations (open areas) at fields with solar PV development, and simultaneously at matched sites without solar PV developments (control fields). We used generalised linear mixed‐effect models to assess how solar PV developments and boundary habitat affected bat activity and species richness. The activity of six of eight species/species groups analysed was negatively affected by solar PV panels, suggesting that loss and/or fragmentation of foraging/commuting habitat is caused by ground‐mounted solar PV panels. Pipistrellus pipistrellus ...