Impact of spatial layout optimization on photovoltaic power consumption: insights from China

• Published in: International Journal of Digital Earth
• Main Authors: Hou Jiang, Ling Yao, Xingxing Zhang, Tang Liu, Min Chen, Chenghu Zhou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-08-01
• Subjects: Solar energy; rooftop photovoltaics; spatial optimization; trans-regional transmission
• Online Access: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2024.2447339

Developing rooftop photovoltaics (PV) has become an important global initiative for achieving carbon neutrality. However, the consumption of variable PV generation remains a major challenge for the electric grid. This study presents a novel multi-objective optimization framework to investigate how spatial layout affects rooftop PV generation consumption in large-scale grid-connected scenarios. Unlike previous studies, our framework integrates continuous spatiotemporal estimates of PV generation and simulation of trans-regional power dispatch simulations, explicitly accounting for the regional differences in power generation, transmission, storage, consumption, and curtailment. An analysis of China's pilot scheme reveals that a suboptimal layout exacerbates the challenges associated with PV consumption, whereas an optimal spatial layout can contribute to a 7% reduction in PV curtailment while maintaining a comparable level of PV penetration. Our findings also underscore the importance of ensuring background climate diversity and regional balance in site selection for future PV expansion. This study provides innovative tools and actionable insights for optimizing the spatial layout of variable energy sources, contributing to policy development and renewable energy integration.