Thesis supervisor: Sándor Zsebők
Location of studies (in Hungarian): ELTE - Centre for Ecological Research Abbreviation of location of studies: ELTE
Description of the research topic:
Mankind seeks solutions for satisfying the increasing energy demand with renewable energy solutions and at the same time for sustaining biodiversity which leads to a green-green dilemma. Renewable energy types like wind and solar energy are seen as “green” solutions, however they need large land to cover and are not harmless for wildlife. Solar panels have special optical and acoustic characteristics and serve as sensory traps for many taxa. It has been shown that several aquatic insect taxa are attracted to them as they polarize the reflected light in the same way as water surfaces do. Moreover, we previously showed that bats misinterpret solar panel-like skew artificial smooth surfaces as water and try to drink from the surface or as open flyways and therefore, collide with them. While many bat species are vulnerable, they are also essential ecosystem service providers, and important indicators about the complexity and health of the ecosystems. In general, our aim is to characterize the effects of solar panels on wildlife and promote eco-friendly development, installation, and maintenance of solar energy systems. For that, we intend to study the effects of solar panels on the sensory, behavioural and ecological levels by focusing on bats. On the sensory level, we intend to study experimentally how bats sense the smooth surfaces to develop mitigation techniques. Behavioural observations are planned to study the navigation and foraging of bats, while on the ecological level, we examine how the solar panels affect the abundance and diversity of insects and bats fixed on rooftops and in solar farms.
Required language skills: English Number of students who can be accepted: 2
Deadline for application: 2024-05-31
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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