Green Technology & Innovation 2979-1456 Caravel Press 10.36922/GTI025280008 2025.010 Environmental and social impact of solar farms: Insights and perspectives from solar professionals https://orcid.org/0009-0001-0625-842X MohanSiddhika siddhikam34295@iiem.sies.edu https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6120-461X SharmaBharat Bhushan dr.bharatbhushansharma@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-8338 MishraSeema seemam@sies.edu.in https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4867-2362 KumarasamySudhakar sudhakar@ump.edu.my SIES Indian Institute of Environment Management, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, School of Engineering and Science, G. D. Goenka University, Sohna, Gurugram, India Faculty of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia; Centre for Automotive Engineering (Automotive Centre), Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al Sultan Abdullah, Pekan, Pahang, Malaysia 30092025 1 1 12 30 September 2025 © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Caravel Press. 2025 This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 licence.

Solar energy professionals, with their knowledge of ground realities regarding project impacts and deep understanding of economic and policy challenges, are uniquely positioned to provide insights into the opportunities and barriers facing the solar industry. The current study surveys 81 solar energy professionals using a structured online survey questionnaire. The survey included questions about 40 different data points in four major areas, i.e., environmental, social, economic, and policy. Environmental concerns were further classified into short-  and long-term categories. Analysis of the survey data revealed several major issues in all areas. For example, responses to environmental impact-related questions indicated that impact on biodiversity, land use, and improper solid waste management were major concerns in the short-term implementation of the project. Among longterm environmental concerns, life-cycle assessment and the disposal of solar panels at the end of life could represent major environmental concerns. For social concerns, the safety of onsite workers, awareness of solar energy, and compliance with environmental impact assessment studies and management plans were the major concerns. The economic concerns to be addressed included the high cost of investment, long payback period, and difficulty of regulatory procedures. Policy-related concerns included the support from local government, research and development needs, and the stability of government policies. All these identified areas are areas where major improvements are envisaged in the future. Overall, such types of studies help in understanding industry requirements in the day and aid planning, strategizing, and policymaking in various areas for holistic, sustainable development.

 Solar energy Solar professionals Environmental impacts Social impacts Solar energy projects Shukla PR, Skea J, Reisinger A, et al. Climate Change 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change Working Group III Contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policymakers; 2022. Available from: https://www.ipcc.ch [Last accessed on 2023 May 24]. Sillman J, Hynynen K, Dyukov I, Ahonen T, Jalas M. Emission reduction targets and electrification of the Finnish energy system with low-carbon Power-to-X technologies: Potentials, barriers, and innovations – A Delphi survey. Technol Forecast Soc Change. 2023;193:122587. doi: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122587 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122587 Schmela M, Rossi R, Lits C, et al. Advancements in solar technology, markets, and investments – A summary of the 2022 ISA World Solar Reports. Solar Compass. 2023;6:100045. doi: 10.1016/j.solcom.2023.100045 10.1016/j.solcom.2023.100045 Marzouk OA. Land-Use competitiveness of photovoltaic and concentrated solar power technologies near the Tropic of Cancer. Solar Energy. 2022;243:103-119. doi: 10.1016/j.solener.2022.07.051 10.1016/j.solener.2022.07.051 Wassie YT, Adaramola MS. Socio-economic and environmental impacts of rural electrification with Solar Photovoltaic systems: Evidence from southern Ethiopia. Energy for Sustainable Development. 2021;60:52-66. doi: 10.1016/j.esd.2020.12.002 10.1016/j.esd.2020.12.002 Govindarajan L, Bin Mohideen Batcha MF, Bin Abdullah MK. Solar energy policies in southeast Asia towards low carbon emission: A review. Heliyon. 2023;9(3):e14294. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14294 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14294 Hirt LF, Sahakian M, Trutnevyte E. What socio-technical regimes foster solar energy champions? Analysing uneven photovoltaic diffusion at a subnational level in Switzerland. Energy Res Soc Sci. 2021;74:101976. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.101976 10.1016/j.erss.2021.101976 Collier SHC, House JI, Connor PM, Harris R. Distributed local energy: Assessing the determinants of domestic-scale solar photovoltaic uptake at the local level across England and Wales. Renew Sustain Energy Rev. 2023;171:113036. doi: 10.1016/j.rser.2022.113036 10.1016/j.rser.2022.113036 Brunet C, Bouchard MA, Baptiste P, Savadogo O, Sokona Y, Merveille N. Will solar energy escape the natural “resource curse”? Energy Strategy Rev. 2022;44:101010. doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2022.101010 10.1016/j.esr.2022.101010 Hartvigsson E, Nyholm E, Johnsson F. Does the current electricity grid support a just energy transition? Exploring social and economic dimensions of grid capacity for residential solar photovoltaic in Sweden. Energy Res Soc Sci. 2023;97:102990. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2023.102990 10.1016/j.erss.2023.102990 Nuñez-Jimenez A, Mehta P, Griego D. Let it grow: How community solar policy can increase PV adoption in cities. Energy Policy. 2023;175:113477. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113477 10.1016/j.enpol.2023.113477 Goosen M, Mahmoudi H, Alyousef Y, Ghaffour N. Solar desalination: A review of recent developments in environmental, regulatory and economic issues. Solar Compass. 2023;5:100034. doi: 10.1016/j.solcom.2023.100034 10.1016/j.solcom.2023.100034 Rabaia MKH, Abdelkareem MA, Sayed ET, et al. Environmental impacts of solar energy systems: A review. Sci Total Environ. 2021;754:141989. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141989 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141989 Kumar A, Tomar S, Gautam KK. A Review of Solar Energy- Challenges, Economics & Policies in India. Vol. 6.; 2015. Available from: https://www.ijsr.net Barragán-Escandón A, Jara-Nieves D, Romero-Fajardoc I, Zalamea-Leónesteban EF, Serrano-Guerrero X. Barriers to renewable energy expansion: Ecuador as a case study. Energy Strategy Rev. 2022;43:100903. doi: 10.1016/j.esr.2022.100903 10.1016/j.esr.2022.100903 Ghaleb B, Abbasi SA, Asif M. Application of solar PV in the building sector: Prospects and barriers in the GCC region. Energy Reports. 2023;9:3932-3942. doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2023.02.085 10.1016/j.egyr.2023.02.085 Busby JW, Shidore S. Solar federalism: What explains the variation in solar capacity additions by India’s states? Energy Res Soc Sci. 2021;71:101815. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101815 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101815 Rogna M. A first-phase screening method for site selection of large-scale solar plants with an application to Italy. Land use policy. 2020;99:104839. doi: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104839 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104839 Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) For Photovoltaic Power Plant Sainshand, Mongolia.; 2016. Available from: http://under-construction.3i-development. eu. [Last accessed on 2020 Nov 19]. Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of A 250 MW (DC) Solar PV Project in Noore Ki Bhoorj, Rajasthan; 2019. Available from: https://www.erm.com [Last accessed on 2020 Nov 19]. Quek TYA, Alvin Ee WL, Chen W, Ng TSA. Environmental impacts of transitioning to renewable electricity for Singapore and the surrounding region: A life cycle assessment. J Clean Prod. 2019;214:1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.263 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.263 Brunet C, Savadogo O, Baptiste P, et al. Does solar energy reduce poverty or increase energy security? A comparative analysis of sustainability impacts of on-grid power plants in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal and South Africa. Energy Res Soc Sci. 2022;87:102212. doi: 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102212 10.1016/j.erss.2021.102212 Al-Amin M, Sahabuddin M. High penetration of electric autorickshaw on national power system and barriers against the adoption of solar energy: A case study in Bangladesh. Clean Eng Technol. 2023;14:100637. doi: 10.1016/j.clet.2023.100637 10.1016/j.clet.2023.100637