A multicriteria proposal for large-scale solar photovoltaic impact assessment

Large-scale photovoltaic (LSPV) may cause significant changes in the environment and lead to detrimental impacts on the natural and anthropic environments. First, this paper reviews the scholarly literature to collect data regarding the different environmental impacts occurring during LSPV installation and operation. Secondly, methods used in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for LSPV are evaluated through a sample of 20 EIAs. This shows that there are flaws in the methodology used in the EIAs that support environmental licensing of LSPV. In this context, this work proposes a multicriteria approach that aims to convey the main environmental and socio-economic aspects of LSPV and assess impact magnitude and importance. The method is built on the needs to improve EIA for the licensing of solar projects in Brazil. The model offers a structured approach that incorporates detailed criteria that reflect direct and indirect impacts of both terrestrial and floating PV and is designed to provide the assessment magnitude and estimate scenarios according to different stakeholder's views.