Suitability of photovoltaic development in the Western Sichuan Plateau based on remote sensing data

The rapid growth of China’s photovoltaic (PV) industry is accompanied by unplanned construction of PV power plants. Ascertaining the regional PV development suitability, power generation potential, and emission reduction effects holds critical significance for the sound development of the PV industry. Based on remote sensing, meteorological, and fundamental geographic data, this study constructed an evaluation index system for PV development suitability. Using this system, it assessed the zones suitable for PV development in the Western Sichuan Plateau and estimated the PV power generation potential and emission reduction effects. The results are as follows: ① The zones suitable for PV development account for 57.43% of the entire plateau, with highly suitable zones covering an area of approximately 2.07×10⁴ km², which are distributed primarily in the southwestern and northwestern portions of the plateau; ② The plateau exhibits significant power generation potential, reaching 17 197.97×10⁸ KWh in highly suitable zones under a full development scenario, which is equivalent to 6.52-fold Sichuan Province’s total electricity consumption in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak; ③ Contrasting with conventional thermal power generation, PV power generation in highly suitable zones can achieve annual CO₂ emission reduction of 12.45×10⁸ t, which is about 12.71% of China’s total CO₂ emissions in 2019 and 3.95-fold Sichuan Province’s CO₂ emissions. Moreover, PV power generation can diminish the emissions of coal and conventional pollutants as well as heavy metals. The findings offer a scientific reference and guidance for selecting sites for PV power plants in the Western Sichuan Plateau and promoting the sustainable growth of the PV industry.