From promise to practice. A landscape perspective on discrepancies between permit documentation and built solar power plants

Over the past years, the implementation of solar energy technology in the landscape has increased significantly. Landscape quality, an objective for solar power plant (SPP) development in the Netherlands, is therein potentially compromised. In this study, we examine the discrepancies of five Dutch S...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Landscape research Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 1048 - 1065
Main Authors: Enserink, Merel, Klaaskate, Vincent, Oudes, Dirk, Stremke, Sven
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 18.08.2025
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
design visualisation
energy policy
Energy technology
Landscape architecture
landscape quality
Post occupancy evaluation
Power plants
Solar energy
Solar power plants
ISSN:0142-6397, 1469-9710
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Over the past years, the implementation of solar energy technology in the landscape has increased significantly. Landscape quality, an objective for solar power plant (SPP) development in the Netherlands, is therein potentially compromised. In this study, we examine the discrepancies of five Dutch SPPs through post-occupancy evaluation and structured interviews. We found 79 discrepancies in spatial measures. Interviewees attributed discrepancies to the business case, permit procedures, regulation, enforcement, and maintenance. We make two recommendations to improve policy and simultaneously strengthen the mandate of landscape planning and design with regard to SPP development. First, broader societal concerns need to be better defined as permit requirements to prioritise them in SPP development. Secondly, design visualisations by landscape architects need to consider temporal aspects to foster communication and transparency among stakeholders. These changes in policy and SPP development practice are needed to maintain landscape quality as stipulated for example, by the European Landscape Convention.
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ISSN:0142-6397
1469-9710
DOI:10.1080/01426397.2025.2475170