Does Photovoltaic Solar Energy Promote Greening in Ecologically Fragile Region?

Abstract With the rapid expansion of photovoltaic (PV) technology, the deployment of PV facilities in ecologically fragile areas has raised concerns about its environmental impacts. Although previous studies have used remote sensing data to assess the impact of PV facilities on greenness, there is still a lack of in‐depth exploration into the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation changes within these facilities and their driving factors. This study focuses on the Yellow River Basin, a region severely affected by soil erosion, using PV data sets from 2010 to 2021 and 30‐m resolution Normalized Difference Vegetation Index to conduct a pixel‐level analysis of the environmental impacts of PV facilities. The results reveal that, while 60% of PV‐occupied areas exhibited increased greenness post‐deployment, only 14% of facilities showed overall greening, and 72% exhibited less greening than their respective control areas. These findings indicate that PV deployment does not result in net greening at the landscape scale. Higher background greenness was associated with better vegetation recovery within PV facilities. Human activities also significantly influenced greenness change within PV facility. The intensity of land disturbance during PV construction may hinder vegetation recovery, but human management post PV construction appears to mitigate previous land uses, leading to vegetation improvement within PV installations. These findings underscore the importance of scientifically planning PV facilities in fragile regions, suggesting that appropriate site selection and management can facilitate sustainable renewable energy development and promote ecosystem restoration.