
- This event has passed.

Stormwater runoff from utility-scale solar farms can be destructive. It doesn’t just erode the soil, but also the profitability when the stormwater-related operating costs and regulatory fines are considered. Low Impact Developments (LID) and Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), e.g. bioswales, bioretention and infiltration basins, are often the choice for stormwater management. Originally developed for populated areas where stormwater runs off from impervious surfaces, LID/GSI is considered as the distributed systems replacing the conventional centralized stormwater infrastructures, many of which are combined with sewage systems. These LID/GSI projects may be “distributed” on the municipal level, but still locally centralized at permeable spaces like parks, right-of-ways, and parking islands. In contrast, most utility-scale solar farms are built on farmlands, forest lands or brownfields. Although the panels are impervious and the primary source of stormwater runoff, the surfaces under and beside the panels are not impermeable even the soil may be compacted by construction and operation.