The Renewables Blog

5 FALSE MYTHS ABOUT PHOTOVOLTAICS

Sep 6, 2024 | Insights

“Photovoltaic plants take up too much space and steal land from agriculture”

FALSE

TRUE

43 Gigawatts (GW) of new photovoltaic installations are needed to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets by 2030. The required land area is equal to 0.9% of the abandoned agricultural area. Space is not an issue!
In addition, agricultural activity can be maintained between the rows and under the photovoltaic modules. Agro-photovoltaics is an excellent opportunity because it allows farmers to cultivate the land well while also benefiting from the economic income from photovoltaics.

 “Behind the fires is the photovoltaic business”

FALSE

TRUE

By law, land affected by fire is excluded from any possible use for the next 15 years after the fire. It is the criminals who cause fires that should be prosecuted, not photovoltaics.

“Photovoltaics endangers the landscape and compromises biodiversity”

FALSE

TRUE

Ground-mounted panels cannot be installed in areas of scenic or natural value. Where photovoltaic systems are installed
herbicides and chemicals that compromise biodiversity are not allowed. Agro-photovoltaics represent a unique opportunity to combine clean energy production and sustainable agriculture while respecting biodiversity.

“Photovoltaics is an ina dable source because it is non-programmable and non-predictable”.”

FALSE

TRUE

The very high accuracy of weather forecasts and the historical data available on the output of photovoltaic systems enable
solar production that can also be scheduled thanks to the storage systems.

“Photovoltaic panels do not reduce CO emissions because coal energy is consumed to produce them”

FALSE

TRUE

 The energy required to produce a photovoltaic module is offset by the module itself in less than a year of operation, after which the module starts producing clean energy at 100%.