An effective way to use photovoltaics in California: a case of life cycle costing and land use footprinting

Abstract

A framework that can be used to estimate, evaluate, and compare life cycle costs, land use footprints, and land use impacts of photovoltaic (PV) systems is developed and applied. The framework provides insights into the trade-offs between costs, land quantities required, and consequent land use impacts across the various options of implementing photovoltaic systems. In the current research, the life cycle costs of PV systems include installation, operating and maintenance, replacement, land, and, capital costs of transmission lines. The land use footprint is defined as the total quantity of land required by the PV system throughout its life, and includes land for siting the PV installation (in the case of ground mounted systems) and for transmission right-of-way where applicable. The land use impacts, in this research are monetized, and include the values of the loss of naturalness and the loss of potential carbon sink.