The article “Potential of Abandoned Agricultural Lands for New Photovoltaic Installations” has been recently published on journal sustainability, in the special issue Sustainable energy, and selected to feature on the cover of the journal forthcoming issue.

The study, by Giulia Ronchetti and Martina Aiello of RSE’s Sustainable Development and Energy Sources Department, proposes considering the use of abandoned agricultural land as high-potential sites for new photovoltaic installations, offering an integrated solution that harmonizes energy, territorial, and agricultural policies.

Within this work, two methodologies to identify Agricultural land abandonment were tested and compared, aiming to delineate macro-areas of potential abandonment for conversion to energy use at a local scale.

The first method identifies abandoned agricultural land with an analysis of changes in land cover classes derived from Corine Land Cover maps available every six years. The second method maps the evolution of agricultural areas through satellite imagery time series, namely, the Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 dataset. Analyses were carried out in a region of central Italy (i.e., Toscana).

Incorporating these methodologies into territorial energy planning frameworks supports the management of land, enhances environmental conservation, and promotes the sustainable achievement of regional and national renewable energy targets.