Notably, in-depth studies spanning various land categories for PV applications remain limited. This research offers a comprehensive examination of China's land and water classification standards and policies, thoroughly investigating PV opportunities, its prevailing status, and challenges across diverse land types.
Land is a fundamental resource for the deployment of PV systems, and PV power projects are established on various types of land. As of the end of 2022, China has amassed an impressive 390 million kW of installed PV capacity, occupying approximately 0.8 million km2 of land .
China's experience in land planning categorization, PV land use strategies, and PV project applications across diverse terrains is anticipated to offer invaluable insights for nations with a growing demand for renewable energy and an active stance against climate change.
Assess Opportunities: Evaluate the potential and opportunities for deploying PV technology on various land types in China, including agricultural land, construction land, waters, and other unused areas.
While most PV projects in China are land-based due to solar energy's dispersed nature, there's an increasing focus on maximizing ‘water’ resources like oceans, lakes, reservoirs, and subsidence zones to improve land use efficiency .
Accordingly, this study conducts a quantitative analysis of the land use benefits of PV power stations at the provincial spatial scale in China, aiming to bridge research gap and explore the harmonization and improvement of renewable energy production while realizing land resource value.