Photovoltaic panels affect arthropod and plant communities: a systematic review
Abstract
Due to climate change, photovoltaic facilities are being rapidly scaled up. However, such a development can come at a cost for biodiversity. We conducted a systematic review, including a critical appraisal, and meta-analyses to better understand the effects of photovoltaic panels and facilities on plants and arthropods, two previously identified knowledge clusters. By collating and analysing 817 quantitative results from 56 publications, we showed that photovoltaic panels have an overall small to moderate negative impact (approximately 15–20% change) on plant and arthropod community metrics, notably on their abundance and species richness and in the area located underneath panels. In particular, pollinators were very strongly affected by the presence of PV panels and facilities. The effects of PV panels and facilities were more pronounced for plant and arthropod communities located in temperate climates. Based on these new results, we advocate for the location of new photovoltaic facilities to be carefully chosen to avoid biodiversity-rich areas (e.g., grasslands, wetlands, forests) or areas hosting particularly sensitive or threatened species or habitats and for biodiversity-friendly management practices to be implemented at current facilities.
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BibTeX
@article{lafitte2026photovoltaic,
title = {{Photovoltaic panels affect arthropod and plant communities: a systematic review}},
author = {Alix Lafitte and Dakis-Yaoba Ouédraogo and Shinichi Nakagawa and Bertrand Schatz and Geoffroy Marx and Christian Kerbiriou and Raphaël Gros and Jérémy Froidevaux and Romain Sordello and Yorick Reyjol},
journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1007/s10531-026-03411-y},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05761636v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Photovoltaic panels affect arthropod and plant communities: a systematic review
AU - Alix Lafitte
AU - Dakis-Yaoba Ouédraogo
AU - Shinichi Nakagawa
AU - Bertrand Schatz
AU - Geoffroy Marx
AU - Christian Kerbiriou
AU - Raphaël Gros
AU - Jérémy Froidevaux
AU - Romain Sordello
AU - Yorick Reyjol
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
JO - Biodiversity and Conservation
DO - 10.1007/s10531-026-03411-y
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05761636v1
AB - Due to climate change, photovoltaic facilities are being rapidly scaled up. However, such a development can come at a cost for biodiversity. We conducted a systematic review, including a critical appraisal, and meta-analyses to better understand the effects of photovoltaic panels and facilities on plants and arthropods, two previously identified knowledge clusters. By collating and analysing 817 quantitative results from 56 publications, we showed that photovoltaic panels have an overall small to moderate negative impact (approximately 15–20% change) on plant and arthropod community metrics, notably on their abundance and species richness and in the area located underneath panels. In particular, pollinators were very strongly affected by the presence of PV panels and facilities. The effects of PV panels and facilities were more pronounced for plant and arthropod communities located in temperate climates. Based on these new results, we advocate for the location of new photovoltaic facilities to be carefully chosen to avoid biodiversity-rich areas (e.g., grasslands, wetlands, forests) or areas hosting particularly sensitive or threatened species or habitats and for biodiversity-friendly management practices to be implemented at current facilities.
SN - 0960-3115
SN - 1572-9710
ER -