Beyond “Geometric Suitability”: Solar Belts, Land Capability, and Ground-Mounted Photovoltaic Plants in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Policies aimed at accelerating the energy transition increasingly rely on simplified spatial criteria to identify suitable areas for renewable energy facilities, including ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) plants on agricultural land. Yet these criteria often overlook soil quality, thereby fuelling the conflict between energy production and agriculture. This paper examines this issue through the case of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, focusing on the 350 m solar belts around industrial and commercial facilities, recognised as legally designated suitable areas for ground-mounted PV plants. Using GIS techniques, regulatory buffers were integrated with land-use data, land capability data, and the location of existing plants. The results show that solar belts include extensive ordinary agricultural areas, not subject to environmental or landscape constraints, and a significant share of high-quality soils belonging to classes I and II of the Land Capability Classification. Comparing actual pressure exerted by existing plants with potential exposure associated with suitable areas identifies different situations at the municipal scale. The case study shows that renewable energy deployment, unless guided by selective criteria, may increase pressure on the highest-quality agricultural soils. This points to the need to integrate pedological assessment into energy planning, moving beyond a definition of suitable areas based on simple geometric criteria.