Carbon footprint of a photovoltaic power plant and a forest

Our mission

Kapstan was commissioned to carry out a dual environmental analysis:

• Scenario 1: Maintaining the forest – estimating the carbon captured and stored by the trees throughout their life cycle, taking into account thinning and final felling.
• Scenario 2: Creation and 30-year operation of a photovoltaic power plant – carrying out a carbon footprint assessment, including deforestation, wood management, CO₂eq emissions from the project, and emissions avoided through substitution in the electricity mix.

According to the study, the photovoltaic plant avoids the emission of between 8,400 and 12,000 tonnes of CO₂ more than the forest can capture over 30 years. However, it should be remembered that emission avoidance and carbon storage are two distinct mechanisms. While the power plant helps avoid future emissions, the forest — in addition to playing an essential role in biodiversity, the local climate, and soil quality — captures CO₂ that has already been emitted into the atmosphere. This comparison helps to clarify the carbon impact analysis of the two scenarios, while highlighting that other environmental criteria must also be considered when making decisions.