Assessing the sustainable development potential of rooftop agrivoltaics: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration

Rooftop agrivoltaics (RAV) integrate clean energy and food production , addressing "zero food miles" while contributing to urban sustainability. This study proposes a multidisciplinary framework to quantify RAV's sustainable development potential and assess its contributions to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the Yangtze River Delta , RAV spans 10,720 km 2 , generating 9.307 × 10 10 kWh of electricity annually (6.3 % of the region's demand), producing 4.358 × 10 7 tons of lettuce (meeting the nutritional needs of 871,567 people), creating 23.36 million jobs, and reducing 1.268 × 10 8 t CO 2 emissions (offsetting 7.47 % of annual emissions). The associated environmental benefits amount to 874.6 billion CNY per year. By 2030, under urban expansion and energy transition scenarios, electricity output could rise to 1.04 × 10 11 kWh, carbon reduction to 2.8 × 10 8 t CO 2 , and crop yields to 4.844 × 10 7 tons. These findings demonstrate RAV's transformative potential for economic, environmental, and urban planning benefits, advancing sustainable urban development . • A multidisciplinary evaluation framework for assessing PV-AR. • The potential area for PV-AR in the Yangtze River Delta is 10,720 km 2 . • PV-AR contributes to 8 Sustainable Development Goals. • Deploying PV-AR in the Yangtze River Delta can meet 6.3 % of annual electricity demand. • Annual carbon reduction of PV-AR in the Yangtze River Delta reaches 1.268 × 10 8 t CO 2 .