Regions suitable for solar power generation

The potential for clean, carbon-free electricity generation from solar photovoltaic (PV) sources in most countries dwarfs their current electricity demand. Around 20% of the global population lives in 70 countries boasting excellent conditions for solar PV. High-potential countries tend to have low seasonality in solar PV output, meaning that .

Solar radiation is the fundamental basis for PV power generation. Areas with plenty of solar radiation are more suitable for PV power generation. Experts in the field consider solar radiation to be an important indicator . In this study, the average annual solar radiation (ASR) from 2000 to 2016 is used as a criterion.

In the three regions, a large part of the total built-up area (urban and solar land) will consist of solar PV panels or CSP heliostats by 2050 if at least half of the produced electricity.

China and the United States together accounted for about one-half of total world solar electricity generation in 2022. The top five producers of solar electricity and their percentage shares of world total solar electricity generation in 2022 were: China–33%; United States–16%; Japan–7%; India–7%; Germany–5%; Last updated: July 12, 2024.

As you would expect, some countries and regions are better suited to certain types of renewables depending on their natural resources. Latitudes with the most hours of sunshine are the best places for solar panels, while areas with high winds are ideal for wind turbines.

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6 FAQs about [Regions suitable for solar power generation]

What is a suitable area for a solar power plant?

The five levels and their suitability scores were classed as highly suitable (0.75–0.87), suitable (0.68–0.75), moderately suitable (0.61–0.68), marginally suitable (0.51–0.61), and not suitable (0.29–0.51). The area classed as highly suitable was the most efficient for PV power generation and the least expensive in which to build PV power plants.

Are EU regions suitable for solar energy?

Suitability and regional investment for solar energy in EU's regions (2007–2013). Results show that among the large number of regions classified ashighly suitable for solar energy, only 11 (out of 276 regions) were actually allocated a high investment level, representing 45% of the total solar investment.

Can solar power be used in arid regions?

In recent years, the scale of solar power generation has expanded rapidly because of advances in solar power generation technology (Ma, 2020). Arid regions are the best-suited to use solar energy to produce electricity, given their high levels of direct irradiation, low atmospheric humidity (Falter and Pitz-Paal, 2017), and deficient precipitation.

How arid and semi-arid regions are suitable for solar energy?

Arid and semi-arid regions were then focused on and classified into three levels of environmental suitability based on the geo-environment factors. Most areas of Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces were at high level for construction of solar energy power stations.

Where are the best places for solar power projects?

Iceland generates 25% of its electricity production and 66% of its primary energy use from geothermal facilities. China has the world’s largest solar capacity, much of it installed on its vast desert plains. So, where exactly are the best places in the world for solar power projects? The ideal conditions for solar panels depend on:

Which countries have a good PV power potential?

Lastly, countries in the favorable mid-range between 3.5 and 4.5 kWh/kWp account for 71% of the global population. These include the five most populous countries (China, India, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil) and about 100 other countries. Average practical PV power potential at Level 1 (PVOUT) compared to theoretical potential (GHI).

Regions suitable for solar power generation