Open Access
Table 2
Future research directions identified on the environmental effects of FPV plants on lake ecosystems.
| Topics | Research directions |
|---|---|
| Improvement of monitoring protocols | – BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) experimental design should be prioritized, notably when assessing the effect of mitigation measures. Particular attention should be given to the choice of the control ecosystems. – Physical and chemical parameters, such as light and oxygen conditions in the waterbody, must be precisely monitored. Methods should be adapted to conditions induced by the panel-induced (e.g., low light). – Monitoring commercial-scale installation should be developed. – Monitoring and data collection methods used by developers have to be harmonized, should they be used to advance scientific understanding of impacts and potential mitigation strategies. |
| Choice of monitored components and impacts | – Monitoring the different trophic levels of the ecosystems (e.g., microbial communities, macrophytes, invertebrates including insect emergence, associated terrestrial biodiversity such as bats and birds), to develop an integrated quantification of the impacts. – Monitoring specifically the cyanobacteria, and potential impacts on algal blooms. Fine-scale monitoring should be performed. – Analysis of floaters degradation, potential contamination (e.g. microplastic, additives, degradation products, heavy metals) and ecotoxicological risks assessments. – Moving beyond species inventories toward more functional indicators and ecosystem services. This includes tracking trophic interactions and the role of FPV in modulating climate impacts (greenhouse gas emissions, heat fluxes). Social scientists should also be involved in assessing the effects on ecosystem services provided to the local population. |
| Evaluation of floating photovoltaic design and mitigation measures | – There is a lack of published assessments of the impact of different technologies and design. Such assessments should be developed. – Development of innovative mitigation strategies (e.g., light islands to mitigate light reduction, biohuts for fauna) |
| Diversity of waterbodies | – The impact may differ according to the environmental conditions of the equipped waterbody. Specific study should be conducted in different types of freshwater ecosystems (e.g., with or without thermal stratification, trophic status, depth, size, geographical locations). – A key aspect is lake selection for installing a FPV plant. Planification of lake selection should be performed at the landscape level and accounting for the ecological important of meta-communities. |
| Temporality of the impacts | – The impacts may take years to be detectable on some biodiversity levels and some ecosystem functions. Sites dedicated to long-term survey, including control sites, need to be identified and monitored. – The temporal dynamic of the ecological impacts of FPV plants should be explicitly accounted for. – The resilience of ecosystems following the exploitation of FPV plants should be included in the monitoring program of the ecological impacts. |
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