Figure 1
From: The Photovoltaic Heat Island Effect: Larger solar power plants increase local temperatures
Illustration of midday energy exchange.
Assuming equal rates of incoming energy from the sun, a transition from (A) a vegetated ecosystem to (B) a photovoltaic (PV) power plant installation will significantly alter the energy flux dynamics of the area. Within natural ecosystems, vegetation reduces heat capture and storage in soils (orange arrows), and infiltrated water and vegetation release heat-dissipating latent energy fluxes in the transition of water-to-water vapor to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration (blue arrows). These latent heat fluxes are dramatically reduced in typical PV installations, leading to greater sensible heat fluxes (red arrows). Energy re-radiation from PV panels (brown arrow) and energy transferred to electricity (purple arrow) are also shown.
