The development of solar energy in the French Alps deepens territorial inequalities

The energy transition represents one of the greatest challenges of our century. To slow global warming, humanity must drastically reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it releases into the atmosphere each year.

To achieve this, it must gradually free itself from its dependence on fossil fuels, while at the same time widely expanding renewable energy systems. 

Among these energy sources, solar and wind power hold tremendous potential. 

Their development, however, faces numerous obstacles: the limitations of the electrical grid and connection capacities, issues of social acceptability, and the land required for their installation, which creates conflicts with other land uses.

Understanding the obstacles to the development of renewable energy

These are precisely the issues addressed by the team of the European research project (ERC) Luiret, led by Professor and researcher Eric Lambin. The project focuses on land use and its impacts in relation to the ongoing energy transition.

The European Union is urging its Member States toward a rapid energy transition in order to meet the ambitious targets it has set. 

On the ground, the situation is not so simple, as there are significant spatial constraints, including: (1) conflicts with other land uses; (2) public opposition that may become more or less pronounced; and (3) landscape impacts.

The Luiret project team studies how the various stakeholders (citizens, landowners, developers, administrative authorities, farmers, etc.) make decisions regarding land use and seeks to understand their territorial, social, and environmental impacts.

A lack of territorial justice

Within the team, doctoral researcher Caroline Bottu is particularly interested in the development of solar energy in the mountainous massif of the French Alps. She studies territorial dynamics, regulations, and land-use changes.

The researcher has just published a scientific article, “Mismatch between where solar projects are proposed and approved: the case of PV acceptance in the French Alps”, whose conclusions highlight a lack of spatial justice in the development of solar energy infrastructure.

Caroline Bottu has demonstrated that the majority of photovoltaic parks recently built were concentrated in very few areas. These territories benefit from a higher permit approval rate, which encourages developers to submit more projects there. This mechanism reinforces the concentration of installations.

As a result, more than 50% of solar park projects submitted since 2020 have been located in a portion that represents only 9% of the territory of the French Alps. Populations living in these areas are therefore more likely to see forested or agricultural land disappear, replaced by solar parks.

The views of local residents rarely taken into account

Caroline Bottu’s research shows that residents’ opinions are generally given little, if any, consideration in the final decision by authorities to grant or refuse the permit for a solar park.

The researcher highlights a lack of transparency in the criteria considered by authorities to approve or reject projects. Neither the socio-demographic characteristics of the territories nor the conclusions of environmental impact assessments make it possible to predict the final decision.

The only significant predictor is how transformed the environment already is: the more urbanized or human‑modified a site is, the more likely it is to receive a permit.

Policy recommendations and next steps for the project

Caroline Bottu and the Luiret project team therefore recommend better planning of solar‑park sitting at the local and regional level. 

They call on authorities to demonstrate greater transparency when issuing their decisions. Finally, they suggest taking into account the full range of social, territorial, and environmental impacts when determining the location of a new solar park.

For the remainder of her PhD, Caroline Bottu will focus on citizen energy communities: how do they emerge, and what obstacles do they encounter?

Interested in learning more about the Luiret project? Visit its website.

Caroline Bottu will also give a seminar on April 14, 2026, at 13:00 in the Mercator 12 auditorium (Place Louis Pasteur 3, LLN) to discuss the ongoing research carried out as part of the project. The seminar is open to all without registration.

Reference  

Bottu, C., & Lambin, E. F. (2026). Mismatch between where solar projects are proposed and approved: The case of PV acceptance in the French Alps. Energy Policy, 211, Article 115103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115103 

Article: Emmeline Van den Bosch & Caroline Bottu