Abstract
Under the European Union (EU) energy efficiency targets that Romania has assumed, increasing the share of solar energy has been one of the main points to be considered. The most important solar energy resources are found in the lowlands and low hills in southern and south-eastern parts of the country. The current paper is focused on the Romanian Plain, which has the best environmental conditions to support the development of photovoltaic (PV) farms. One hundred and ten PV farms have been identified and mapped which cover a total area of 1393 hectares. Although it provides a clean and sustainable energy source, the related environmental implications of PV farms could be either positive or negative. In this study, some of the main categories of impacts have been selected for identification and analysis of their environmental consequences. Several indicators have been computed: the share of PV farms from the main land use/cover categories and main soil types, and the distance of PV farms to forests, water bodies, or protected areas. The overall results of the study reveal the current and potential impacts of PV farms in order to understand the interactions between the environment and the use of renewable energy sources and further support science-based solutions for sustainable development.
Highlights
With increasing global population and economic development, there has been a rising demand for alternative energy options to reduce dependence on limited reserves of fossil fuels and mitigate climate change impacts [1]
Before analyzing the spatial distribution of PV farms, the characteristics and environmental impacts of solar energy resources in Romania have been evaluated based on data available from National
The prevalence of PV farms in the central part of the Romanian Plain is related to land availability and suitability, and financial support
Summary
With increasing global population and economic development, there has been a rising demand for alternative energy options to reduce dependence on limited reserves of fossil fuels and mitigate climate change impacts [1]. Renewable energies (e.g., solar, wind, and biomass) have become alternatives to non-renewable ones. Their extended use requires an understanding of their environmental interactions in order to better deal with the resulting tradeoffs [2] in terms of land use/cover changes, land productivity, biodiversity, water, and soil quality, etc. The Europe 2020 strategy targets on climate change and energy, known as the European 20-20-20 targets, seek to reduce Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions and increase energy efficiency [3]. In addition to this initiative, the United Nations.
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