Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society ISSN:1598-6411(Print) 2508-3562(Online) 한국태양에너지학회 논문집

Currently, various policies regarding ecofriendly vehicles are being proposed to reduce carbon emissions. In this study, the required areas for charging electric vehicle (EV) batteries using electricity produced by photovoltaic (PV) power plants were estimated. First, approximately 2.4 million battery EVs, which represented 10% of the total number of vehicles, consume approximately 404 GWh. Second, the power required for charging batteries is approximately 0.3 GW, and the site area of the PV power plant is 4.62 km², which accounts for 0.005% of the national territory. Third, from the available sites of buildings based on the region, Jeju alone consumes approximately 0.2%, while the rest of the region requires approximately 0.1%. Fourth, Seoul, which has the smallest available area of mountains and farmlands, utilizes 0.34% of the site for PV power plants, while the other parts of the region use less than 0.1%. The results of this study confirmed that the area of the PV power plant site for producing battery-charging power generated through the supply of EVs is very small. Therefore, it is desirable to analyze and implement more specific plans, such as efficient land use, forest damage minimization, and safe maintenance, to expand renewable energy, including PV power.