With the rapid growth of global energy consumption, the environment will further deteriorate, and the competition among countries to reduce emissions will become more intense. Photovoltaic power generation using solar energy as a clean energy source is of strategic importance for achieving a carbon-neutral planet. Therein, centralized photovoltaic power stations in terrestrial ecosystems cover the earth's surface, which leads to changes in land use and has a significant effect on the surface energy balance and precipitation regimes, altering soil nutrient cycling and plant productivity, and ultimately significantly affects ecosystem functions and services. By synthesizing relevant studies on this topic over the past 20 years, we summarized the effects of photovoltaic power station construction on microclimate, soil, flora and fauna, and potential changes in terrestrial ecosystem functions. Overall, the photovoltaic power stations improved the quality of the soil condition, especially in harsh environments, and increased the vegetation coverage. In addition, photovoltaic power stations could affect ecosystem functions including plant productivity, soil erosion resistance, and soil carbon sequestration by regulating microclimatic factors such as solar radiation intensity, air temperature and humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. Although numerous studies have anticipated the potential effect of photovoltaic power stations on ecosystem structure and functions, empirical evidence remains scarce. Therefore, more studies focusing on the regional variability of the ecological impacts of photovoltaic power stations and the potential pathways of photovoltaic power stations affecting ecosystem functions are needed in the future. Improving the understanding of the ecological effects of photovoltaic power stations may help to provide a basis for ecological protection and restoration.
Keywords: ecological effect; microclimate factor; photovoltaic power station; plant diversity; soil ecosystem.