# Environmental Protection in the Planning of Large Solar Power Plants
## 1 Introduction  
The ecological advantages of the production of electricity from renewable sources (RES), on the one hand, and the development of the population's awareness of the need for environmental protection, on the other hand, represent a good basis for the dynamic development of projects in the field of application of \"green\" energy, which is based on the application of RES [1]. Therefore, in addition to economic benefits in the field of energy and energy transition, the ecological aspect is increasingly important, which becomes a dominant condition for the preservation of space and the environment, but also for the financing of projects by international financial institutions [2]. Today, the destruction of nature has become so intense that the use of RES is being imposed as part of the solution to the global problem. The emission of gases with the greenhouse effect is mostly a consequence of the burning of fossil fuels. The reason supporting the dynamic development of projects using RES on a global level by a large number of investors is twofold [3]:The construction of power plants using RES is aligned with the development of awareness of the importance of environmental protection and with international agreements concerning environmental protection and climate change. By analyzing data on the CO\({}_{2}\) emission during the production of electricity from different primary sources, it can be concluded that, compared to fossil fuel, renewable energy sources are incomparably more acceptable from an environmental point of view [4];
2. The production of electricity in power plants using RES generates a significant profit [5]. Like many other development activities, solar power plants can have both a positive and negative impact on the environment. However, in order to talk about the possible environmental impact of solar power plants, it is necessary to understand the scale of large solar power projects (over 100 MW). The solar power plant complex consists of infrastructure facilities for the production of electricity (solar panels), transmission of electricity (internal cable network and substation), and traffic facilities (internal access roads for construction and maintenance of the solar power plant). Each of the functional parts of the solar power plant has a unique role and holds significant importance in the operation of the solar power plant system, solar panels being the most prominent in terms of space. Depending on the installed power in the solar power plant, the space occupied by solar panels can be large, which is why they are particularly significant from the aspect of possible environmental impact. Today, wind power plants from several hundred megawatts (MW) to even several gigawatts (GW) are being implemented worldwide, occupying hundreds and thousands of hectares of land. As an example, some of the biggest solar power plants in the world can be cited [6]:  
* Bhadla--India (2.7 GW), covering an area of 14,000 hectares;
* Pavagada--India (2.05 GW), covering 13,000 hectares;
* Jichuan--China (1 GW), covering almost 9000 hectares. The dimensions of the space occupied by large solar power plants can therefore be grand, so they must be viewed in the context of the use of land they are built on (e.g., degraded land, desert or high-quality arable land), which is especially significant considering the expansion of solar energy on a global level. The size of the solar power plant, i.e., the installed power, is directly proportional to the land area required for its construction. It is precisely from this relationship that the assessment of the positive and negative impact of solar power plants on the environment starts. The positive impacts of solar power plants have a wider context. This is achieved by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in the energy sector, through reduced usage of fossil fuels, that is, by producing electricity without the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse effect gases. In the future, this should lead to reduced needs for thermal power plants generated energy.