The Siting and Impact of Photovoltaic Systems in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties
- HF-ID: HF2022-02
- Category: Research Files
- Creator: Johnson, E., Hall, B.R., Powers, M., Therien, A., Foster, D.R.
- Date: 2019
- Location: Franklin County (MA), Hampden County (MA), Hampshire County (MA)
- Media: Paper
- Contents:
- Keywords: aerial photography, geographic information systems, land use, solar radiation
- Abstract:
- This exploratory study seeks to establish and evaluate methodology that could be applied statewide to determine the extent and land-use change impact of photovoltaic development on the Massachusetts landscape. Although lacking peer review, this careful and thorough analysis of the impacts of solar growth in the Pioneer Valley illustrates the importance of evaluating the unintended consequences that statewide incentive policies may have on natural resources.
- As land use evolves in this era of rapidly changing climate, state agencies, regional planners, land conservation organizations, and municipal boards in New England are strongly focusing on the ecological and economic resilience of communities to environmental threats. One particular area of interest is the role that natural and cultural landscapes play in providing an array of ecosystem services to local communities and mechanisms for the retention and conservation of these lands. Active conversion of these landscapes to other human uses weakens the ability of forests and farms to yield these benefits and so there is strong interest in conserving land and planning development, including residential, commercial, and transportation projects more strategically in the landscape (Foster et al. 2017).
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