California Could Install Ample Solar Power Without Damaging Habitats

California could generate enough electricity from solar power to exceed the state’s energy demand five times over, even if solar equipment were only to be installed on and near existing infrastructure, a report in Nature Climate Change says. The report shows it is possible to substantially boost California’s solar energy production without converting natural habitat, harming the environment, or moving solar installations to remote areas far from consumers. Roughly eight percent California’s land area has been developed by humans, the study says, and residential and commercial rooftops provide ample opportunity for generating electricity through small- and utility-scale solar power installations. Additional solar facilities could be constructed in undeveloped areas that are not ecologically sensitive, such as degraded lands, the report notes. “Integrating solar facilities into the urban and suburban environment causes the least amount of land-cover change and the lowest environmental impact,” says lead researcher Rebecca R. Hernandez.