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Empowering the world’s rooftops: Global land suitability and potential of photovoltaics

Author

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  • Wang, Shiyuan
  • Guo, Mingqiang
  • Cao, Wei
  • Huang, Ying
  • Qin, Rongjun

Abstract

The rapid expansion of renewable energy is essential for climate mitigation, yet ground-mounted solar deployment increasingly competes with land needed for agriculture, ecosystems and urban development. Rooftop photovoltaics (RPV) offer a land-efficient alternative by using existing built environments, but their global suitability and generation potential remain insufficiently resolved. Here we develop a harmonized global screening framework for RPV across 233 countries and territories, integrating high-resolution rooftop-area data, geographic information systems and multi-criteria suitability analysis. We estimate a grid-level aggregated suitable rooftop area of approximately 1.03 × 10⁵ km², corresponding to an annual generation potential of 14.56 PWh. Within this total, highly suitable grid cells contain 3.97 × 10⁴ km² of rooftop area and could generate nearly 6.07 PWh per year. This potential is spatially concentrated, with a small number of regions accounting for a large share of the global total. Rather than treating all rooftop area as equally actionable, our framework identifies where rooftop solar is more likely to align with favorable resource, climatic, topographic and socioeconomic conditions. The results provide strategic screening insights for spatial planning and policy prioritization, supporting a shift from maximum-coverage estimates toward more targeted, context-sensitive RPV deployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Shiyuan & Guo, Mingqiang & Cao, Wei & Huang, Ying & Qin, Rongjun, 2026. "Empowering the world’s rooftops: Global land suitability and potential of photovoltaics," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:168:y:2026:i:c:s0264837726001882
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2026.108104
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