Socio-Environmental Impacts of Photovoltaic Power Generation Plants in Communities: Literature Review

Objective: This article sought to investigate the socio-environmental impacts generated by solar parks in communities neighboring the projects. To this end, it was necessary to conduct a bibliographic survey of the main articles published on the subject worldwide. Theoretical Framework: Twenty-one scientific articles published in international journals over the last six years that discuss the issue of large-scale photovoltaic solar energy production, the consequences for communities, and the social and environmental impacts were analyzed. Methodology: After surveying the 21 international articles on the Web of Science, Scielo, Scopus, and ScienceDirect platforms, the articles were indexed and their main characteristics were summarized. Positive aspects generated for the communities in relation to job creation were found, however, most of them are temporary jobs. Negative factors include deforestation, increased social injustice, and environmental contamination, among others. Results and Discussion: It was found that, although photovoltaic solar energy is a cheap energy source compared to other energy sources and has great potential for growth in the coming years, if it is implemented through a process that increases injustices, it can cause significant socio-environmental harm to the host countries, in addition to generating social movements in opposition to the projects. Implications of the research: This research involves the dissemination of scientific knowledge about the energy transition process of the last six years, especially the production of large-scale photovoltaic solar energy, which not only brings benefits but also harm to the communities where it is located. Originality/Value of the research: The research is original and has great academic and social value, since the relationship between large-scale photovoltaic solar energy production and communities was studied and several cases were raised in several countries around the world showing how harmful a solar project installed in a given location can be, where aspects of socio-environmental justice are often not considered.