- Solar PV now dominates global renewable expansion, accounting for about 77% of new renewable capacity additions by 2024.
- Future solar deployment must prioritise smart land-use planning to maximise environmental, agricultural, and socio-economic benefits.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) has become the dominant force in the global energy transition. By the end of 2024, solar accounted for roughly 77% of global renewable capacity additions, with total installed capacity approaching 1.9 terawatts worldwide. This remarkable growth is driven by falling technology costs and the urgent need to decarbonise energy systems.
Beyond Electricity Generation
A recent report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) offers an important reminder: solar is not only about generating electricity. It also interacts with local ecosystems and land use. If deployed thoughtfully, solar infrastructure can support agricultural productivity, restore degraded land, enhance biodiversity, and improve water management.
Concepts such as agrivoltaics, solar grazing, ecovoltaics, and floating solar demonstrate how solar projects can create multiple layers of value beyond electricity generation. For instance, integrating solar panels into agricultural systems can improve land-use efficiency, reduce irrigation demand, and increase crop resilience. In some contexts, solar farms can even contribute to ecosystem restoration by improving soil moisture and vegetation coverage over time.
The Planning Gap in Emerging Markets
These possibilities are promising, but they raise an important question for emerging markets and developing economies:
Are we planning solar deployment with these environmental and socio-economic co-benefits in mind?
Much of the current conversation around solar deployment, particularly across Africa, remains focused on installed capacity targets and electrification metrics. These priorities are important. Millions of people still lack access to reliable electricity, and solar technologies are among the fastest pathways to close this gap.
However, the next phase of the energy transition must go beyond simply counting megawatts.
The report also highlights that solar projects can generate environmental risks when poorly planned. Land clearing during construction can damage vegetation and soil structure, while large-scale installations may fragment wildlife habitats or alter local ecosystems. In some cases, solar projects have even been developed in areas with high biodiversity value, creating unintended environmental impacts.
Key Considerations
Two implications stand out:
- Solar deployment should be integrated with land-use, agriculture, and environmental planning, ensuring projects deliver benefits beyond electricity generation, including ecosystem restoration and climate-resilient agriculture.
- Site selection and project design must prioritise ecological considerations, avoiding biodiversity-sensitive areas and encouraging the use of degraded or disturbed land for solar development.
For countries with vast land resources and growing energy demand, the opportunity is significant. Solar deployment could be strategically aligned with land restoration initiatives, climate-resilient agriculture, and rural economic development. Degraded lands, abandoned mining sites, and semi-arid regions could host solar projects that generate electricity while restoring ecological balance.
This requires a shift in how solar projects are conceptualised.
Rather than treating solar infrastructure solely as an energy asset, policymakers, investors, and developers must begin to view it as multifunctional infrastructure, capable of delivering electricity, environmental restoration, agricultural productivity, and local economic benefits simultaneously. The future of solar is not just about how much capacity we build, but how intelligently we integrate it into the landscapes and communities where it operates.
As solar capacity continues to scale globally, the central issue is no longer only the speed of deployment. The quality of project planning, land-use integration, and environmental governance will determine whether solar expansion delivers broader ecological and socio-economic benefits