Defining Ecovoltaics: A Systematic Review and Framework for Ecologically Integrated Solar Development

Abstract

The rapid expansion of ground-mounted solar photovoltaic infrastructure creates fundamental tensions between renewable energy deployment and biodiversity conservation, which ecovoltaics aims to reconcile. This systematic review of 20 studies demonstrates that native vegetation can be successfully established beneath solar arrays, that construction methods are a key determinant of ecological outcomes, and that panel configuration can stabilize vegetation productivity in water-limited environments. However, current research remains geographically concentrated in the semi-arid United States and parts of Europe, temporally limited to early establishment phases, and lacks critical data on long-term performance and economic viability. Evidence supports implementation in specific contexts but the evidence base needs broader geographic coverage, longer monitoring timescales, and rigorous cost-benefit analysis before ecovoltaics can be confidently scaled beyond demonstration projects.