The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021

International Journal of Photoenergy
By: , and 

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Abstract

An energy transition is underway in the United States; renewable energy generation is now on par with coal and nuclear generation. The number of large-scale solar photovoltaic facilities increased approximately tenfold between 2012 and 2021, with an associated 25-fold increase in cumulative installed capacity. With ambitious decarbonization and renewable energy deployment goals at both the federal and state levels, deployments of large-scale solar photovoltaic facilities will continue apace. This growth is likely to be complex with ripples of impacts felt throughout different aspects of society, and thus accurate solar land use metrics allowing more accurate predictions are of value to policymakers, planners, and other stakeholders in the future photovoltaic build-out. In this paper, we leverage data from the newly released US Large-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Database to examine recent trends in large-scale solar photovoltaic land use. We analyze the relationships between solar array capacity density (W/acre) and a range of facility attributes to better understand the future land requirements of solar capacity expansion over the coming years. Installed capacity was the single strongest determinant of solar array area. However, we found substantial variation in capacity density across facility attributes, including mount type, latitude, urbanicity, time, and prior land use.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The rise of U.S. photovoltaics: An exploration of land use density trends in large-scale solar facility attributes, 2012-2021
Series title International Journal of Photoenergy
DOI 10.1155/ijph/6686514
Volume 2025
Publication Date November 22, 2025
Year Published 2025
Language English
Publisher Wiley
Contributing office(s) Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Description 6686514, 18 p.
Country United States
Other Geospatial conterminous United States
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