Field solar power generation site

Why is site-selection of solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) important?

Scientific research on the site-selection procedures of solar photovoltaics (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies is of significant importance, contributing to environmentally sustainable, technically and economically viable, and socially acceptable solar energy projects.

Why is site selection important for solar power plants?

The site selection for solar power plants has a significant impact on the cost of energy production. A favorable situation would result in significant cost savings and increased electricity generation efficiency. California is located in the southwest region of the United States of America and is blessed with an abundance of sunlight.

How many large-scale solar photovoltaic facilities are in the United States?

Scientific Data 10, Article number: 760 (2023) Cite this article Over 4,400 large-scale solar photovoltaic (LSPV) facilities operate in the United States as of December 2021, representing more than 60 gigawatts of electric energy capacity.

What is a utility-scale solar power plant?

We define utility-scale as greater than 1 MWdc for PV plants and greater than 1 MWac for CSP plants. Table ES-1. Summary of Land-Use Requirements for PV and CSP Projects in the United States We found total land-use requirements for solar power plants to have a wide range across technologies.

Which site is best for solar power plant construction?

S1 and S3 have similar IofAs values; however, S3 is substantially less expensive. In conclusion, S2 is the optimal site for solar power plant construction using the CBA method due to its higher cost performance, and the final ranking is S2 > S3 > S1. It can be seen that the impact of cost on the results is fully demonstrated by the CBA method.

Do solar energy planners consider public preferences in site-selection?

Participatory planning was incorporated in the site-selection framework of the minority of PV (24.04%) and CSP (14.58%) siting studies. Solar energy planners prefer to incorporate the experts/stakeholders opinion than the public preferences in the siting procedure. In addition, public preferences were considered only in PV siting studies.