# Environmental Protection in the Planning of Large Solar Power Plants
## 1 Introduction
Given that the production of electricity in solar power plants does not create greenhouse gases, it represents an important step towards \"stabilizing\" the climate. To illustrate this scenario, one should refer to the results of a recent study by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory [7], which concluded that a 25% increase in the use of RES will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%. Therefore, the influence on slowing down climate change is another important positive impact of utilizing solar power and renewables in general, which further results in positive effect on the health of the population and planet's biodiversity. Energy efficiency is another advantage of using the energy of the sun in solar power plants compared to the use of fossil fuels. Namely, electricity produced in solar power plants is efficiently delivered by transmission lines to the place of usage, without additional processing, transport, etc., which is not the case when electricity is generated in power plants that use fossil fuels. Negative impacts of solar power plants can occur during the construction of the solar power plant at a specific location, during its operation, and after its closure. There are several key environmental impacts of solar power plants:  
1. Land occupation: The land that is occupied is in direct correlation with the size (installed power) of solar power plants. Land occupation refers to the space under the solar panels, so large solar power plants can occupy large areas. 2. Impact on biodiversity: This primarily refers to the potential endangerment of habitats, that is, the potential change in habitats and their existing conditions, as well as to changes in the characteristics of hunting territories for wild species occupying those territories. Namely, the change in one element affects the change in another. In this case, purposeful modification or removal of certain, e.g., floristic, stands in the location where the realization of the solar power plant is planned directly influences the change in the habits and behavior of certain individuals of the fauna in that location. 3. Impact on the landscape: According to the European Landscape Convention [8], a landscape is an area whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or anthropogenic factors. Therefore, it encompasses both the natural and cultural values of a certain area [9; 10; 11]. Large solar power plants can take up large areas and completely alter the landscape characteristics of the location. However, the impact of the visibility of solar power plants on the landscape is based on subjective preferences. In addition to the abovementioned main impacts, it is important to address other minor effects that occur during the construction phase of a solar power plant, such as noise generation and potential pollution of the basic environmental factors, impacts on archaeological remains, but also impacts arising from solar panels that are damaged or whose useful life has ended. The assessment of the negative impacts of solar power plants on the environment is determined during its planning, design, construction, and operation. This paper presents the use of strategic environmental impact assessment (SEA) as an instrument for identifying and assessing the impact of (spatial/territorial) solar power plants on the environment, and showing how these negative impacts can be minimized or completely eliminated by applying the principle of preventive protection at the earliest project development phase [12; 13; 14]. To achieve a higher level of applicability of the research carried out for the purposes of this work, this paper used the results of the SEA study conducted for the needs of the agrisolar power plant \"Agrosolar Kula\" (800 MW) in Serbia--a case study.