The Production of Solar Photovoltaic Power and Its Landscape Dimension

TLDR: In this paper, the authors analyze the landscape features of photovoltaic power installations and systematize their impacts on the landscape, and offer various landscape integration proposals, as a kind of Good Practice Guide.

Abstract: Solar photovoltaic power development has had various effects on the landscape, especially in rural areas, where the contrasts with other land uses are more striking. Landscape criteria are not normally taken into account in the planning and the design of these installations, and measures must therefore be taken to control and manage photovoltaic development in order to ensure that the quality of the landscape is preserved or even improved. In this case, one of the most effective landscape management tool is the integration of these installations into the landscape. In this chapter, we analyse the landscape features of these installations, and systematize their impacts on the landscape. We also offer various landscape integration proposals, as a kind of Good Practice Guide. Our case study focuses on the Andalusia region of southern Spain, where there has been very rapid development of photovoltaic power energy in recent years. We believe this is a representative case and that the results can be extrapolated to other areas in which a similar process is taking place.