Soil Footprint and Land-Use Change to Clean Energy Production: Implications for Solar and Wind Power Plants

Abstract

Shifting from fossil fuels to alternative energies is crucial for mitigating climate change and reducing dependence on environmentally harmful resources. Measuring the soil footprint of alternative energies is equally essential, as it helps promote sustainable development. This research proposes a methodological approach to assess the land consumed by photovoltaic panels installed on land (PVL), on roofs (PVR), and wind power systems (WP) in Italy. A sample of 186 plants was analysed, and the total area occupied by these plants was measured. Moreover, the area needed for new infrastructure and facilities serving the plants was measured. Finally, the land use change was assessed by determining the land use before installing PVL and WP. Approximately 92.8% of WP entailed the construction of new road networks, while 34.8% of PVL required the construction of new buildings. The surface area demand by the WP was lower (1.3 m2 kW−1) than PVL (21.2 m2 kW−1). Overall, a highly positive correlation was found between the nominal power of the plants and the total area occupied (R2 = 0.94, 0.95, and 0.90 for PVL, PVR, and WP, respectively). The areas occupied by new plants were mainly devoted to agriculture (75.8% for PVL and 71.4% for WP); however, WP were also located in forest areas (17.9%). The methodology proposed may be extended to assess the global footprint of alternative energies and address sustainable energy management.