Spatial patterns of climatic and ecological effects of photovoltaic power plants in Northwest China

The development of large-scale photovoltaic power plants (PVPPs) represents one effective pathway toward achieving carbon neutrality. However, the impact patterns of PVPPs across different climate and ecosystem types remain elusive, which is a critical factor for regional management and optimization of photovoltaic projects. In this study, the impacts of PVPPs on local climate and ecosystems across different regions were simulated by a photovoltaic energy balance module and an ecological mechanism model. These results indicated that PVPPs deployment exerted significant impacts on local climate, decreasing air temperature and increasing air relative humidity in most regions. The climate effects were obvious in desert ecosystem and Tibet-Plateau (TP) climatic zone. The PVPPs deployment also showed positive influences on vegetation growth and carbon sequestration. It enhanced gross primary productivity (GPP), net primary productivity (NPP) and net ecological productivity (NEP). PVPPs increased NEP in desert ecosystems and the Tibet-Plateau region, while ecological effects were greater enhancement in grassland ecosystem and the middle temperate climate regions. The climate effects induced by PVPPs are significant for vegetation growth and carbon sequestration. Our findings can serve as a reference for rational construction and planning of PV projects, achieving a win-win situation that balances clean energy production with ecological conservation.