Quantifying the trade-offs between renewable energy visibility and system costs
Nature Communications, vol. 16, pp. 3853
Abstract
Visual landscape impacts on scenic and populated places are among significant factors affecting local acceptance of large-scale renewable energy projects. Through the combination of large-scale reverse viewshed and techno-economic energy system analyses, we assess their potential impacts for nationwide energy systems. In our case study of Germany, moderate consideration of visual impact by placing renewables out of sight of the most scenic and densely populated areas does not have a significant impact on future energy system costs and design. In contrast, in scenarios assuming high sensitivity to visual impacts, annual energy system costs would increase by up to 38% in 2045. The energy system's resilience would also be compromised due to the increasing reliance on green hydrogen imports and the uncertain mass adoption of rooftop photovoltaics. Our analytical framework facilitates careful planning that considers the visual impact of renewable energy infrastructure, thus enabling socially acceptable deployment while understanding the implications for system costs and transformation pathways.
Authors 10
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Chair for Fuel Cells, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52062, Germany. t.tsani@fz-juelich.de
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany. t.tsani@fz-juelich.de
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Chair for Fuel Cells, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52062, Germany
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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National Technical University of Athens · Politecnico di Milano
Affiliation as printed
Department of Architecture, Built Environment, and Construction Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, 20133, Italy
Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Heroon Polytechniou 5, Zografou, 157 80, Greece
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Chair for Fuel Cells, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52062, Germany
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Chair of Energy Systems Analysis, ETH Zürich, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Chair for Fuel Cells, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52062, Germany
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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Paul Scherrer Institute · ETH Zurich
Affiliation as printed
Chair of Energy Systems Analysis, ETH Zürich, Zürich, 8092, Switzerland
Laboratory for Energy Systems Analysis, Centers for Nuclear Engineering and Sciences & Energy and Environment, PSI, Villigen, 5253, Switzerland
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · RWTH Aachen University
Affiliation as printed
Chair for Fuel Cells, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52062, Germany
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of Climate and Energy Systems - Jülich Systems Analysis (ICE-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich, 52425, Germany
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