Abstract
This paper uses the LCA (Landscape Character Assessment) manuals produced by the Countryside Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage to develop a method for analysing the characteristics of the landscape and its ability to host photovoltaic parks. The method was tested on a site which is part of the Natura 2000 network in Sicily, where the different needs of high quality agricultural land, scenery of great natural value and human activities compete with one another. The evaluation of the landscape’s capacity to absorb the changes was effectuated by defining criteria which take into consideration the possible impact of photovoltaic sites on the landscape. These criteria were used to evaluate the sensitivity of the characteristics of the landscape as well as its quality and value, and the visual impact of the proposed changes. Most of the Landscape Units were found to be not suitable for photovoltaic parks because of the high value of the land. However, protected agricultural land, mainly used for greenhouses, has a medium to high capacity to host photovoltaic plants, and if these are correctly planned, this could help to lower the sensitivity levels.
Highlights
There is increasing interest in developing photovoltaic energy in Sicily
This was combined with the visual sensitivity criteria and the value of the landscape in order to define the capacity
The research focused on the effect that solar parks would have on the landscape [8], and identified reference criteria and useful weightings for the relevant factors in the evaluation process
Summary
There is increasing interest in developing photovoltaic energy in Sicily. The statistical institute GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici—management of electrical services) found that photovoltaic energy production increased from 155.9 MW in 2010 to 865.7 MW in 2011, and 60% of this was produced from land sites [1].While the energy, economic and environmental impact of photovoltaic plants is generally seen as positive [2,3,4], the large scale use has a negative impact on the landscape, in rural areas.At national level, photovoltaic energy and other renewable energy sources are encouraged, but local communities are more concerned about their negative impact on their quality of life and the landscape [5].landscape aspects have taken on a key role in determining the new sustainable energy strategy [6].Scientific studies have mainly considered the general impact of photovoltaic farms on the landscape [7,8,9] deeper research has concentrated on the visual impact [10,11]. Economic and environmental impact of photovoltaic plants is generally seen as positive [2,3,4], the large scale use has a negative impact on the landscape, in rural areas. Photovoltaic energy and other renewable energy sources are encouraged, but local communities are more concerned about their negative impact on their quality of life and the landscape [5]. Scientific studies have mainly considered the general impact of photovoltaic farms on the landscape [7,8,9] deeper research has concentrated on the visual impact [10,11]. The visual and perceptual impact of solar parks on the landscape is similar to that of other structures, such as wind farms, greenhouses, warehouses, etc. There is a great deal of literature on this argument, with useful information on the best way to limit their visual impact [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]
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