Almeida Lab
We study how energy and water infrastructure interact with ecosystems and the benefits they provide.
Directed by Dr. Rafael M. Almeida, an ecosystem scientist, the lab is housed in the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington. We take an ecosystem perspective on engineered systems such as dams, reservoirs, floating solar arrays, and aquaculture ponds, and we work across scales, from individual sites to regional and global analyses. Our findings inform solutions that work for both people and nature.
Research
Floating solar energy
Ecological trade-offs and system-level benefits of solar panels on water.
Ecosystem-smart hydropower
Planning and modernizing hydropower to safeguard freshwater ecosystems.
Methane in human-made waters
Methane dynamics in reservoirs, fish ponds, and water-based energy and food systems.
In the news
Press release · 2026
Solar expansion won’t threaten food prices or security
Even if 40% of new U.S. solar farms go on cropland, prices of major crops would rise by less than 5.6%.
Media · 2025
What will floating solar mean for wildlife?
Simone Cardoso explains how panel shading can ripple through aquatic food webs.
Press release · 2025
Lab-hosted workgroup charts a path to greener hydropower
Turbine upgrades and floating solar on reservoirs could boost hydropower output without new dams in sensitive river basins.
Recent publications
- Land-use transitions and carbon emissions of aquaculture expansion in the Brazilian Amazon.
Pacheco et al (2026). Science Advances 12:eaec5472 - Greenhouse gas flux response in biochar- and compost-amended lawn soils under simulated water saturation conditions.
Salinas et al (2026). CLEAN Soil Air Water 54:e70254 - Limited impact of solar energy expansion on agricultural production and crop prices in the United States.
Dumortier and Almeida (2026). Land Use Policy 168:108093 - Agrivoltaic shading reduces soil greenhouse gas fluxes in a semi-arid vineyard.
Gomes da Silva et al (2026). Environmental Research Communications 8:061006