Large photovoltaic power plants: Wildlife impacts and benefits

Plans for large solar energy power plants in federal and private lands of the Southwest United States (US-SW) have received opposition from some citizens and organizations citing potential impacts on wildlife. In this study, potential impacts from solar energy deployment are examined in a comparative context. Specific wildlife enhancement and impact mitigation plans undertaken by SunPower and FirstSolar in California are detailed, and research initiated at Brookhaven National Laboratory on the changes of habitat associated with a solar farm at Long Island, New York, is outlined.