South Korea is leading an innovative effort in renewable energy that shows how to solve the major conflict between using and protecting land. Historic solar farms typically required extensive deforestation; Scientific reports studies indicate that conventional solar farms could eliminate 98 percent of existing tree biomass. However, the new design for ‘solar trees’, consisting of rows of tall poles with an array of photovoltaic panels, integrates vertical arrays within forest canopies and enables projects with 99 percent canopy cover and a total production capacity equivalent to conventional solar farms. Therefore, this new dual-use solar design can protect essential climate ‘carbon sinks’ and support local biodiversity, demonstrating that green energy production and forest conservation can be successful together.
How are South Korea’s solar trees solving the problem? deforestation Dilemma
The primary obstacle to large-scale solar energy production in mountainous regions such as South Korea is that many flat-field locations would need to remove trees that provide carbon sequestration. According to research published in Scientific Reports, the use of solar trees (tall photovoltaic systems mounted on poles) would preserve undisturbed vast portions of the forest floor and understory, whereas conventional ground-mounted photovoltaic systems would almost completely destroy forests. Solar trees, with their tall pole designs, contribute to security by retaining up to 99 percent of tree canopy biomass.
3D simulations prove solar trees match conventional power
To ensure that these ‘solar trees’ continued to produce at maximum efficiency despite receiving less than full sun due to surrounding trees, the researchers used 3D geospatial information and simulations to determine how high to give them and where to place them so that they could clear the surrounding natural tree canopy. Research has shown that solar trees can provide as much electricity as conventional solar arrays without the same environmental footprint as conventional fields.
Why are land-scarce countries turning to solar trees?
Solar tree is a special application of agrivoltaics, which many organizations promote like International Energy Agency (IEA) and US Department of Energy (DOE), as it deals with solar energy and agrivoltaics done in the same field or using the same location. Government-sponsored research indicates that countries that have limited land and are committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 should use vertical space instead of horizontal land.
Solar trees are protecting forests as active carbon sinks
Stopping the destruction of existing forests is one of the key recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for climate change mitigation. By using solar trees to prevent deforestation, the area remains a carbon sink and absorbs carbon dioxide while producing carbon-free electricity from solar panels. This results in a ‘net-positive’ impact on the environment compared to the large-scale deforestation associated with conventional solar projects.
