Comprehensive regionalization and potential water crisis for solar power development in arid and semi-arid regions of northwest China

Abstract

Large-scale water scarcity and geo-environment disparity in arid and semiarid regions of northwest China may be the limitations of ambitious solar energy development. This study quantified water-energy conflict for photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) both in China and in this region, and assessed development suitability of solar power at municipal level. The results show that arid provinces faced intense water-energy conflict, 22.8 and 22.9 times higher than humid provinces for PV and CSP respectively. Enormous spatial differences in water-energy conflict existed in the region (PV, 1.5–655.5; CSP, 2.2–1099.0). Considering both water-energy conflict and geo-environment, the region was divided into development zone (including water-surplus and water-deficit subzone) and limited zone. It is indicated that 58.6–66.4% of northwest China need to increase available water resources to meet demands for future solar energy development. This research perspective that solar power development should focus on water constraints in northwest China, together with zoning methodology outlined in this study, could provide a valuable reference for its development in arid regions or countries globally.