Large-scale resource assessments for solar photovoltaics: A review of potential definitions, methodologies and future research needs

Identifying suitable locations for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is key to a successful global energy transition. However, PV assessments vary widely in terms of input data used, methodological approaches applied, and therefore ultimately in the resulting total potentials, making their comparison and interpretation challenging. Here, we review the current literature with respect to existing definitions of potentials, associated criteria as well as methodologies to identify current trends in this field and potential future research directions with a focus on large-scale assessments covering at least an entire country or a large region within a very large country. We observed a wide range of assumptions and…

• ET
  Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich
• ER
  European Research Council