DIVERSIFYING LAND-USE OPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE LARGE SCALE EUROPEAN PV DEPLOYMENT

摘要

Decarbonising the EU energy system will require that renewables provide most, if not all, of electric power, with photovoltaics (PV) contributing a substantial share. At terawatt-scale deployment levels, the surface area used for PV installations will be large in absolute terms, but not necessarily a large percentage of available area. The study uses a unique combination of energy system scenarios, PV energy yield modelling and high resolution land-use data to analyse the impact for the European Union member states. The results show that future PV land requirements are a small percentage of overall area in most countries, even under deep-decarbonisation scenarios. Rooftops can contribute to some extent, but a small percentage of land currently classified as agricultural is likely to be needed. Use of set-aside land and degraded lands as well as dual-use approaches can mitigate the impact.