Solar in Wetlands. Photo credit: a k e.org/blog/2012/08/15mw solar field near philadelphia.html

Transcription

1 Sola in Wetlands Photo cedit: a k e.og/blog/2012/08/15mw sola field nea philadelphia.html Ceated by: Jessica son Isabel Molina Allie Ziegle Sam Zuckeman Patnes: Vemont Depatment of Envionmental Consevation Zapata Couage Distict Wetlands Ecologist Tina Heath Distict Wetlands Ecologist ENSC 202 Sping 2016

2 Sola in Wetlands 1 Poblem statement : As the sola industy expands in Vemont, establishing siting ecommendations that influence legislatue becomes a moe pessing issue each yea. Ou poject concens the sola impacts on wetlands due to thei ecosystem impotance and the sola industy s affinity towads constucting on maginal lands. Justification/Liteatue Review : Vemont s goal of meeting 90 pecent of its enegy secto fom enewable enegy by 2050 has led to acceleated development of sola powe statewide (VT Depatment of Public Sevice, 2016). Reaffiming this goal in Januay of 2016, Goveno Shumlin notes that the numbe of sola panels in the state has inceased by 10 times since he took office five yeas ago (Rutland Heald, 2016). Taking advantage of this economic oppotunity, sola enegy companies ae buying up inexpensive maginal famland, which is sometimes found to be a egeneating wetland o wet meadow. As these companies push fo pemits to develop on ealy successional wetlands, the Vemont Depatment of Envionmental Consevation is given the ole of deciding whethe o not these pojects can and should go though. The effects of sola fields on wetlands and the associated impacts on the geate aea ae not extensively studied o undestood in Vemont, so it becomes necessay to examine how wetlands and sola aays behave in isolation and in conjunction. A pat of ou wok involves undestanding the ecosystem impotance of a egeneating wetland when taken out of agicultue and its potential to etun to its fome state. We do not know the ways that sola development will impede on the egeneation o functions of a wetland due to the distubances caused by constuction, vegetation cleaing, shading, and changes in hydology. Anothe pat of ou wok involves eseaching sola potential; leaning about the implementation, maintenance and beakdown of a sola fam; and undestanding how these additions will contibute to Vemont s enegy goal. Wet meadows that wee peviously agicultual land have the potential of egeneating back to thei oiginal state, which may povide moe ecosystem functions than they pesently do. Although diect coelations have not been obseved, adding sola aays may impede on the ability fo the wetland to ecove to its natual state. The panels themselves will pevent sunlight fom eaching the suface which can decease cabon sequestation and disupt communities and vegetative species (Patton T., et al., 2013). In addition, the panels ceate dip lines and snow piles on the soil below the panels, changing the hydology of the site. The machiney used to install sola panels and ceate a functioning site may lead to sevee and/o pemanent soil compaction as well as educe evapotanspiation, which would change the hydology of the wetland and suounding aea. As a esult of the compaction and emoval of vegetation, the wetland would be less able to absob nutients, filte contaminants, and would esult in inceased eosion and unoff (Patton T., et al., 2013). Consideing delineated wetlands often have egulations peventing development, the full effect of sola in wetlands is had to pedict.

3 Sola in Wetlands 2 Anothe consideation of wetland impacts is the amount of time to complete constuction and its associated noise in the aea. Wetlands ae an impotant habitat fo pemanent and seasonal species, a significant numbe of them being theatened o ae. Accoding to The Natue Consevancy, vegetative species of concen in wet meadows include the bead pinweed (Lechea pulchella), banching bu eed (Spaganium andocladum), Long's bulush (Scipus longii), Ogden's pondweed (Potamogeton ogdenii), Push's goldenod (Solidago uliginosa), stout smatweed (Polygonum obustius), and Walte's paspalum (Paspalum dissectum) (TNC, 2015). Moe eseach is needed on the effects of sola on these significant species in ode to detemine impacts on Vemont s distinct wetland communities. Objectives: Ceate a liteatue eview to undestand sola pojects impacts on wetlands Detemine whee sola development demand is in Vemont and whee wetlands ae located Detemine impacts of sola on wetland wildlife, hydology, and vegetation though the exploation of liteatue involving stuctues simila to sola aays and ecosystems simila to wet meadows Compae the pos and cons of sola aays in wetlands Assess Section 248, VT Wetland Rules, and elevant egulations Poposed appoach : Ou fist step will be to evaluate aeas of highest inteest fo sola development and to juxtapose this with the location of significant wetlands. Detemining these aeas allows us to bette descibe the scope of ou poject. To obtain this infomation, we will consult sola poject poposals and GIS data fo wetland and cuent sola installations. If time povides, we could conduct a stakeholde suvey involving sola companies in Vemont to get a bette feel fo aeas that ae highly valuable fo the sola industy. Next, we will detemine how the sola industy impacts wetland ecosystems. Of paticula inteest is the wetland classification of wet meadows due to thei ecological significance and potential fo stuctues to be built on them in compaison to moe satuated wetlands. Since had evidence and specific data on the effects of sola pojects on wet meadows in Vemont ae lacking, we plan on compiling data using a vaiety of esouces. Afte compiling a list of potential impacts sola pojects have on wetlands, such as vegetation shading, hydologic alteation, and habitat fagmentation, we can conduct a compehensive liteatue eview. Using keywods such as shading and hydology we can detemine the effect of simila stuctues on wetlands, fo example the effects of shading fom bidges on wetlands. Invesely, we can use sola as a keywod to detemine the impacts of sola pojects on ecosystems othe than wetlands. This will give us a geneal epesentation of how sola pojects inteact with thei suounding ecosystems. We will consult past monitoing epots and envionmental monitoing expets such as Adam Cay fom VHB.

4 Sola in Wetlands 3 Since it is impotant to examine the issue fom both sides, we will need to detemine the moe geneal benefits the sola industy has in Vemont. This will equie the examination of financial benefits and envionmental benefits though the eduction of fossil fuels. We will compae this to the data we have gatheed fom the liteatue eviews in the pevious objective in ode to weigh the pos and cons. Geneal citicisms of the sola industy, such as aesthetics, will be assessed. Lettes and local news aticles will give us a bette undestanding of citizen concens. Finally, we will assess the cuent legislation that deals with sola siting and wetland potection. Ou goal with this is to detemine the validity of cuent legislation. Using cuent legislation posted on the State of Vemont Public Sevice Boad, we plan on appoaching this with an open mind which will allow us to conside one of thee possibilities: the legislation should change to futhe potect wetlands, the legislation should allow fo moe wetland development by the sola industy, o the cuent legislation is appopiate when consideing the pos and cons of building sola pojects in wetlands. Expected outcomes and significance: At the ealy stage of ou poject, we ae focusing on finding a high quantity of liteatue and eseach petaining to sola development in wetland ecosystems. As thee is not much liteatue diectly petaining to sola in wet meadows, we will need to make infeences and compaisons to elated subjects. Ou findings in the liteatue will be compiled to highlight the most useful infomation fo the Vemont Depatment of Envionmental Consevation to use while pemitting sola in wet meadows. Effot assignment : We have split up the liteatue topics each student will be eseaching in ode to be the most efficient. Sam is focusing on the fist objective of detemining whee sola is located and poposed in Vemont as well as whee wetlands ae located. In addition, he will eseach the effects that sola in Vemont have on open spaces and aesthetics, as well as look into Vemont s goal of 90% enewable by 2050 and how this may petain to sola being built in wetlands. Lastly, Sam will eseach VT S.230, petaining to enegy, public sevice, natual esouces, land use, siting, enewable 6 geneation, and net meteing. Isabel is concentating on the second objective. This entails eseaching wetland functions, especially those that petain to wet meadows. She is also finding infomation on the hydology and plant species of wetlands, looking into how wetlands ae composed and what functions they seve, and the impacts that sola may have on these aspects. Allie is focusing on the thid objective of compaing the pos and cons on sola aays in wetlands. This entails looking into how much enegy Vemont sola fields can povide and if the poduction is high enough to geatly educe fossil fuel use. Secondly, Allie will look into if sola enegy in Vemont is diectly benefiting the local community o if it is being put into a lage

5 Sola in Wetlands 4 gid. She is also eseaching pat of objective two, looking into the habitat and wildlife that wet meadows povide and how sola may have an impact. Jessa is focusing on the last objective, eseaching wetland egulations and the VT Wetland Rules. This includes assessing VT section 248, which petains to pemitting. Secondly, she will eseach wetland economics focusing on how wetland ecosystem functions geneate valuable sevices fo the community.

6 Sola in Wetlands 5 Refeences: The Natue Consevancy. (2015). Lauentian Acadian Wet Meadow Shub Swamp. Retieved ch 03, 2016, fom c/epotsdata/hg/teestial/pages/wetmeadow.aspx Patton, T., Alme, L., Hatmann, H., & Smith, K. P. (2013, June). An Oveview of Potential Envionmental, Cultual and Socioeconomic Impacts and Mitigation Measues fo Utility Scale sola Enegy Development [Review]. Agonne National Laboatoy, Retieved ch 3, 2016, fom Rutland Heald. (2016, Januay 13). Vemont eaffims enegy goal of 90 pecent enewable by Retieved ch 3, 2016, fom Vemont Depatment of Public Sevice. (2016) Vemont Compehensive Enegy Plan. Retieved ch 3, 2016, fom mp_enegy_plan/2015/2016cep_es_final.pdf

7 Sola in Wetlands 6 Timeline/Gantt Chat: Lean about pojects Week of: Choose poject Gathe elevant liteatue Meet with client as needed Submit poposal Develop epot Submit daft epot Poject pesentation Submit final epot Exit inteview 18 Jan 25 Jan Ap 11 Ap 18 Ap 25 Ap Week: y