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Impacts of Photovoltaic Farms on the Environment in the Romanian Plain

Author

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  • Alexandra Vrînceanu

    (Physical Geography Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Ines Grigorescu

    (Environment and GIS Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Monica Dumitrașcu

    (Physical Geography Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Irena Mocanu

    (Human Geography and Regional Development Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Cristina Dumitrică

    (Physical Geography Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Dana Micu

    (Physical Geography Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Gheorghe Kucsicsa

    (Environment and GIS Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Bianca Mitrică

    (Human Geography and Regional Development Department, Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy, 12 Dimitrie Racoviţă Street, Sector 2, 023993 Bucharest, Romania)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandra Vrînceanu & Ines Grigorescu & Monica Dumitrașcu & Irena Mocanu & Cristina Dumitrică & Dana Micu & Gheorghe Kucsicsa & Bianca Mitrică, 2019. "Impacts of Photovoltaic Farms on the Environment in the Romanian Plain," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:13:p:2533-:d:244724
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    6. Morice R. O. Odhiambo & Adnan Abbas & Xiaochan Wang & Gladys Mutinda, 2020. "Solar Energy Potential in the Yangtze River Delta Region—A GIS-Based Assessment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Prăvălie, Remus & Sîrodoev, Igor & Ruiz-Arias, José & Dumitraşcu, Monica, 2022. "Using renewable (solar) energy as a sustainable management pathway of lands highly sensitive to degradation in Romania. A countrywide analysis based on exploring the geographical and technical solar p," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 976-990.
    8. Sanju John Thomas & Sheffy Thomas & Sudhansu S. Sahoo & Ravindran Gobinath & Mohamed M. Awad, 2022. "Allotment of Waste and Degraded Land Parcels for PV Based Solar Parks in India: Effects on Power Generation Cost and Influence on Investment Decision-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-16, February.
    9. Adam Juma Abdallah Gudo & Marye Belete & Ghali Abdullahi Abubakar & Jinsong Deng, 2020. "Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Solar Energy Potential for Domestic and Agricultural Utilization to Diminish Poverty in Jubek State, South Sudan, Africa," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-22, March.
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