Evaluation of Potential Geographic Distribution for Large-Scale Photovoltaic System in Suburbs of China

Abstract

Since China is the largest CO 2 emitting country in the world, photovoltaic (PV) systems are expected to be widely installed to reduce CO 2 emission. In general, available area for PV installation depends on urban area due to differences in land use and slope. Amount of electricity generated by a PV system also depends on urban area because of differences in solar irradiation and ambient temperature. The aim of this study is to evaluate the installation of large-scale PV systems in suburbs of China, taking these differences into consideration. We have used a geographic information system (GIS) to evaluate amounts of installation capacity of large-scale PV systems, electricity generated, and CO 2 emission reduction by the installation capacity of large-scale PV systems in suburbs of Liaoning, Shanghai, Anhui, and Guangdong. In Liaoning, the amount of CO 2 emission reduction by the installation capacity of large-scale PV systems was estimated to be the largest, 3,058 kt-CO 2 /yr, due to its larger amount of the installation capacity, 2439.4 MW, than the amount of the installation capacity in other regions.