Nature of land use for energy storage projects

How accurate are land use constraints for energy projects in China?

In China, accurate land use constraints for energy projects, such as renewable energy and fossil energy power plants, are usually not given in the national and provincial land development plans to ensure the reliable supply of energy.

Does land use for solar energy compete with other land uses?

Based on the spatially defined LUE of solar energy, as well as the identified potential for solar energy in urban areas, deserts and dry scrublands, land use for solar energy competes with other land uses through the inherent relative profitability of each land use.

Is solar energy a good option for land use?

However, recent studies based on satellite views of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) under operation, either in the form of photovoltaics (PV) or concentrated solar power (CSP), show that their land use efficiency (LUE) is up to six times lower than initial estimates 17, 18, 19.

What drives land use decisions in solar energy?

Nevertheless, an important driver for land use decisions in the model is land profitability: even if land covered by crop cultivation is perceived as the most suitable by investors in solar energy, high observed or potential profitability of crop cultivation on such land could force investors to focus on other land types.