How much land will be used for solar power in 2050?

In the three regions, a large part of the total built-up area (urban and solar land) will consist of solar PV panels or CSP heliostats by 2050 if at least half of the produced electricity comes from solar power. Land for solar would amount to over 50% of the current EU urban land, over 85% for India, and over 75% in Japan and South-Korea.

Which countries have solar land requirements and related land use change emissions?

In this work, the potential solar land requirements and related land use change emissions are computed for the EU, India, Japan and South Korea. A novel method is developed within an integrated assessment model which links socioeconomic, energy, land and climate systems.

What drives land use decisions in solar energy?

Nevertheless, an important driver for land use decisions in the model is land profitability: even if land covered by crop cultivation is perceived as the most suitable by investors in solar energy, high observed or potential profitability of crop cultivation on such land could force investors to focus on other land types.

Does solar energy affect land use change?

Although the transition to renewable energies will intensify the global competition for land, the potential impacts driven by solar energy remain unexplored. In this work, the potential solar land requirements and related land use change emissions are computed for the EU, India, Japan and South Korea.

How do street layouts affect solar generation potential?

Street layouts have an immediate impact on the solar generation potential of a neighborhood since they affect the design and set of buildings. Cities are composed of districts, which all have distinct characteristics, but most of them morph into urban patterns that can be visually identified.

How can solar energy be used in urban settings?

Energy consumption and solar energy generation capacity in urban settings are key components that need to be well integrated into the design of buildings and neighborhoods, both new and existing, to achieve significant energy and GHG emission reduction goals 2. Photovoltaics (PV) application in buildings has been vastly researched, worldwide 3, 4.