Red soil slope photovoltaic panels

Does a photovoltaic panel reduce runoff and sediment in a slope?

The impact of a photovoltaic (PV) panel on runoff and sediment in a slope was tested. The key impact of the PV panel is preventing soil detachment by raindrop impacts. The PV panel slope produced 27 %−63 % less soil erosion than the control slope. The PV panel delayed runoff start time under rainfall with heavy rainfall intensities.

Does a PV panel affect rainfall-runoff and soil erosion processes?

The rainfall-runoff and soil erosion processes of a slope with a PV panel above the middle of it and a control slope with no cover were observed and compared. The result indicated that the PV panel did not have considerable effect on runoff volume, peak flow discharge, and overland flow velocity.

Why did a PV panel erode a slope section?

This was attributed to the weakened splash erosion on the slope section under the PV panel due to the rainfall interception by the panel, which indicated that the key impact of the PV panel was preventing soil detachment by raindrop impacts.

Do PV panels prevent soil detachment by raindrop impacts?

The key impact of the PV panel is preventing soil detachment by raindrop impacts. The PV panel slope produced 27 %−63 % less soil erosion than the control slope. The PV panel delayed runoff start time under rainfall with heavy rainfall intensities. PV panels on hillslopes may have the potential to retain soil organic matters. Abstract

Can a single PV panel reduce soil erosion?

In real-case application of a single PV panel, the soil-erosion mitigation effect of the panel may be changed under varying conditions. In arid and semi-arid regions, hillslopes with sparse vegetation, which suffer severe soil erosion, are quite common.

Do solar panels affect rainfall-runoff and soil erosion?

The results indicated that the addition of solar panels over a grassy field does not change the volume of runoff, the peak discharge, nor time to peak. More recently, Wang and Gao (2023) conducted experiments at the plot-scale to investigate impacts of PV panels on rainfall-runoff and soil erosion processes.