%AMoore‐O'Leary, Kara [Center for Population Biology University of California–Davis Davis CA]%AMoore-O'Leary, Kara [Center for Population Biology; University of California-Davis; Davis CA]%AHernandez, Rebecca [Land, Air &, Water Resources Department University of California–Davis Davis CA]%AHernandez, Rebecca [Land, Air & Water Resources Department; University of California-Davis; Davis CA]%AJohnston, Dave [San Jose State University San Jose CA]%AJohnston, Dave [San Jose State University; San Jose CA]%AAbella, Scott [School of Life Sciences University of Nevada Las Vegas NV]%AAbella, Scott [School of Life Sciences; University of Nevada; Las Vegas NV]%ATanner, Karen [Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California–Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA]%ATanner, Karen [Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California-Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz CA]%ASwanson, Amanda [University of California–Riverside Riverside CA]%ASwanson, Amanda [University of California-Riverside; Riverside CA]%AKreitler, Jason [US Geological Survey; Boise ID]%AKreitler, Jason [US Geological Survey Boise ID]%ALovich, Jeffrey [US Geological Survey Flagstaff AZ]%ALovich, Jeffrey [US Geological Survey; Flagstaff AZ]%BJournal Name: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment; Journal Volume: 15; Journal Issue: 7; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-09-24 03:58:12 %D2017%IWiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons) %JJournal Name: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment; Journal Volume: 15; Journal Issue: 7; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-09-24 03:58:12 %K %MOSTI ID: 10037781 %PMedium: X %TSustainability of utility‐scale solar energy – critical ecological concepts %X

Renewable energy development is an arena where ecological, political, and socioeconomic values collide. Advances in renewable energy will incur steep environmental costs to landscapes in which facilities are constructed and operated. Scientists – including those from academia, industry, and government agencies – have only recently begun to quantify trade‐offs in this arena, often using ground‐mounted, utility‐scale solar energy facilities (USSE, ≥1 megawatt) as a model. Here, we discuss five critical ecological concepts applicable to the development of more sustainableUSSEwith benefits over fossil‐fuel‐generated energy: (1) more sustainableUSSEdevelopment requires careful evaluation of trade‐offs between land, energy, and ecology; (2) species responses to habitat modification byUSSEvary; (3) cumulative and large‐scale ecological impacts are complex and challenging to mitigate; (4)USSEdevelopment affects different types of ecosystems and requires customized design and management strategies; and (5) long‐term ecological consequences associated withUSSEsites must be carefully considered. These critical concepts provide a framework for reducing adverse environmental impacts, informing policy to establish and address conservation priorities, and improving energy production sustainability.

%0Journal Article