Solar PV Atlas: Solar Power in Harmony with Nature - WWF

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SOLAR ATLAS: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Renewable energy requires land. But just how much? This atlas illustrates some answers for one sector, solar photovoltaic electricity, in seven different regions. The Energy Report, published by WWF in 2010, called for renewable energy to meet all global energy needs by 2050. While a balanced portfolio of renewable energy sources will ultimately fill global energy needs, this atlas considers solar photovoltaic electricity. Today, solar photovoltaic electricity, sometimes called just PV, provides 0.1 per cent of total global electricity generation. However, PV has seen an average annual growth rate of more than 40 per cent since 2000. Now a well-established, commercially available and reliable technology, it has significant potential for long-term growth in nearly all world regions now and in the coming decades. The atlas considers electricity demands in seven diverse regions and calculates the area (land or roof) that would be needed for PV to meet these demands. In each of these cases, less than one per cent of the region’s total land cover would be required to host solar PV panels in order to meet one hundred per cent of the region’s projected electricity needs in 2050, taking into account solar resources and predicted electricity consumption and demographic changes. While it is unlikely that all electricity will come from solar PV in 2050, this “100 per cent” scenario serves to illustrate that even using very conservative numbers for calculations, the maximum amount of space solar PV could need, on the ground and on buildings, is relatively low. In a realistic global portfolio of renewable energy generation technologies, PV will very likely require far less land than illustrated here. Several credible scenarios suggest that solar PV could provide about 30 per cent of global total electricity in 2050. Of course, grid integration, storage and balancing are important issues to address for renewable energy to be successful. These topics are beyond the scope of the atlas but are covered in The Energy Report by WWF. With its selection of diverse areas, the atlas illustrates that PV technology, when well-planned, does not conflict with conservation goals. On a macro level, no country or region must choose between solar PV and space for humans and nature. Quite the opposite. As climate change threatens humans and the environment, it is more important than ever to work for the efficient and wide-scale adoption of well sited, responsibly and effectively operated renewable energy generation facilities. Environmental protection and renewable energy can and must develop in parallel. 5
Solar PV Atlas At the local level, there has been some concern that PV development could conflict with livelihood and conservation goals. While these concerns are important to consider, research has consistently found that, when developed responsibly, ground-mounted and roof-mounted solar PV power plants provide considerable economic and environmental benefits. PV solar manufacturers, project developers, policy makers, and other relevant parties should convene a multi-stakeholder initiative to establish global, sector-wide guidelines for responsible community engagement and land management. Each region selected for this atlas holds great solar resource. Resource availability alone, however, does not define markets. Policy also shapes a nation’s energy supply, and, despite considerable obstacles to overcome, there is room for optimism in each of the selected regions. From bold targets to tiny first steps, the policies noted in this atlas show potential for large and sustainable solar market development if expanded and enacted well. © First Solar 6
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Page 20 and 21: Electricity sector There are curren
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Annex 3 : PV development example -
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GLOSSARY : solar atlas terminology
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Notes and References: 59 In additio
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Notes and References: 2012, Termoel
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Solar PV Atlas: Solar Power in Harmony with Nature - WWF

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