Land Use Conflicts Between Residential and Industry Sectors on One Side and Utility-scale Photovoltaics on Another – a Missing Concept Gaining Importance.
Abstract
The purpose of this research note is to draw the attention of the researchers to the potential land use conflict that emerges during the energy transition. Namely, the competition between utility-scale photovoltaics (USPV) on one side and residential and industrial development on the other. This issue is an overlooked problem, even though other types of land use conflict have been raised in recent literature. The reason why this issue is unaddressed is probably because the described problem is not yet evident. However, population growth and industrialisation processes, together with increasing electricity demand, in particular the demand for renewable energy, are the main drivers of potential land use conflicts. The role of this paper is to shed light on the missing concept of land use conflict in the age of energy transition.
References
Alves, A., Gomes, E., Marques Da Costa, E., & Caetano, M. (2026). Beyond renewable energy targets: Understanding the land use implications of solar energy facilities in Continental Portugal. Geography and Sustainability, 7(1), 100406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2026.100406
Ascensão, F., Chozas, S., Serrano, H., & Branquinho, C. (2023). Mapping potential conflicts between photovoltaic installations and biodiversity conservation. Biological Conservation, 287, 110331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110331
Brewer, J., Ames, D. P., Solan, D., Lee, R., & Carlisle, J. (2015). Using GIS analytics and social preference data to evaluate utility-scale solar power site suitability. Renewable Energy, 81, 825–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2015.04.017
Calvert, K., & Mabee, W. (2015). More solar farms or more bioenergy crops? Mapping and assessing potential land-use conflicts among renewable energy technologies in eastern Ontario, Canada. Applied Geography, 56, 209–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.11.028
Curioni, M., Galli, N., Manzolini, G., & Rulli, M. C. (2025). Global Land‐Water Competition and Synergy Between Solar Energy and Agriculture. Earth’s Future, 13(2), e2024EF005291. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF005291
Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 October 2023 Amending Directive (EU) 2018/2001, Regulation (EU) 2018/1999 and Directive 98/70/EC as Regards the Promotion of Energy from Renewable Sources, and Repealing Council Directive (EU) 2015/652, CONSIL, EP (2023). http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2023/2413/oj
Dubiński, J. (2013). Sustainable Development of Mining Mineral Resources. Journal of Sustainable Mining, 12(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.7424/jsm130102
Hafeznia, H., Yousefi, H., & Razi Astaraei, F. (2017). A novel framework for the potential assessment of utility-scale photovoltaic solar energy, application to eastern Iran. Energy Conversion and Management, 151, 240–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2017.08.076
Hügi, M., Wyrsch, N., Bucher, C., Hess, D., & Ballif, C. (2025). Meta-study of potential for photovoltaic installations in Switzerland. Energy Reports, 14, 2296–2314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2025.08.035
International Energy Agency. (2026). Electricity 2026. Analysis and forecast to 2030. International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-2026
Jäger-Waldau, A., Kougias, I., Taylor, N., & Thiel, C. (2020). How photovoltaics can contribute to GHG emission reductions of 55% in the EU by 2030. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 126, 109836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.109836
Kapetanakis, I. A., Kolokotsa, D., & Maria, E. A. (2014). Parametric analysis and assessment of the photovoltaics’ landscape integration: Technical and legal aspects. Renewable Energy, 67, 207–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2013.11.043
Lakhouit, A., Alhathlaul, N., El Mokhi, C., & Hachimi, H. (2025). Assessing the Environmental Impact of PV Emissions and Sustainability Challenges. Sustainability, 17(7), 2842. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072842
Liu, J., & Shen, X. (2025). Global PV supply Chains: Costs and energy savings, GHG emissions reductions. Energy Policy, 205, 114716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114716
Martínez-Medina, R., Gil-Meseguer, E., & Gómez-Espín, J. M. (2025). Changes in Land Use Due to the Development of Photovoltaic Solar Energy in the Region of Murcia (Spain). Land, 14(5), 1083. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14051083
Nøland, J. K., Auxepaules, J., Rousset, A., Perney, B., & Falletti, G. (2022). Spatial energy density of large-scale electricity generation from power sources worldwide. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 21280. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-25341-9
O’Sullivan, J. N. (2023). Demographic Delusions: World Population Growth Is Exceeding Most Projections and Jeopardising Scenarios for Sustainable Futures. World, 4(3), 545–568. https://doi.org/10.3390/world4030034
Park, G., & Kim, D. (2025). Spatial analysis of Urban land use impact on new solar photovoltaic capacity: A case study of South Korea. Energy Policy, 199, 114545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2025.114545
Rehbein, J. A., Watson, J. E. M., Lane, J. L., Sonter, L. J., Venter, O., Atkinson, S. C., & Allan, J. R. (2020). Renewable energy development threatens many globally important biodiversity areas. Global Change Biology, 26(5), 3040–3051. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15067
Roddis, P., Roelich, K., Tran, K., Carver, S., Dallimer, M., & Ziv, G. (2020). What shapes community acceptance of large-scale solar farms? A case study of the UK’s first ‘nationally significant’ solar farm. Solar Energy, 209, 235–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2020.08.065
Roy, R., & Pearce, J. M. (2024). Is small or big solar better for the environment? Comparative life cycle assessment of solar photovoltaic rooftop vs. ground-mounted systems. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 29(3), 516–536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-023-02254-x
Scheffran, J., Felkers, M., & Froese, R. (2020). Economic Growth and the Global Energy Demand. In A. A. Vertès, N. Qureshi, H. P. Blaschek, & H. Yukawa (Eds.), Green Energy to Sustainability (1st ed., pp. 1–44). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119152057.ch1
Scognamiglio, A. (2016). ‘Photovoltaic landscapes’: Design and assessment. A critical review for a new transdisciplinary design vision. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 55, 629–661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.10.072
Soto-Gómez, D. (2024). Integration of Crops, Livestock, and Solar Panels: A Review of Agrivoltaic Systems. Agronomy, 14(8), 1824. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14081824
Van Zalk, J., & Behrens, P. (2018). The spatial extent of renewable and non-renewable power generation: A review and meta-analysis of power densities and their application in the U.S. Energy Policy, 123, 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.08.023
Wang, L., Qiu, T., Zhang, M., Cao, Q., Qin, W., Wang, S., Wang, L., Chen, D., & Wild, M. (2024). Carbon emissions and reduction performance of photovoltaic systems in China. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 200, 114603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2024.114603
Yang, Q., Huang, T., Wang, S., Li, J., Dai, S., Wright, S., Wang, Y., & Peng, H. (2019). A GIS-based high spatial resolution assessment of large-scale PV generation potential in China. Applied Energy, 247, 254–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.005
Zhang, P., Yue, C., Li, Y., Tang, X., Liu, B., Xu, M., Wang, M., & Wang, L. (2024). Revisiting the land use conflicts between forests and solar farms through energy efficiency. Journal of Cleaner Production, 434, 139958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139958
Zorzano-Alba, E., Fernandez-Jimenez, L. A., Garcia-Garrido, E., Lara-Santillan, P. M., Falces, A., Zorzano-Santamaria, P. J., Capellan-Villacian, C., & Mendoza-Villena, M. (2022). Visibility Assessment of New Photovoltaic Power Plants in Areas with Special Landscape Value. Applied Sciences, 12(2), 703. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020703