An Approach for Estimating Solar Photovoltaic Potential Based on Rooftop Retrieval from Remote Sensing Images

Abstract

Solar energy is the most clean renewable energy source and has good prospects for future sustainable development. Installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on building rooftops has been the most widely applied method for using solar energy resources. In this study, we developed an approach to simulate the monthly and annual solar radiation on rooftops at an hourly time step to estimate the solar PV potential, based on rooftop feature retrieval from remote sensing images. The rooftop features included 2D rooftop outlines and 3D rooftop parameters retrieved from high-resolution remote sensing image data (obtained from Google Maps) and digital surface model (DSM, generated from the Pleiades satellite), respectively. We developed the building features calculation method for five rooftop types: flat rooftops, shed rooftops, hipped rooftops, gable rooftops and mansard rooftops. The parameters of the PV modules derived from the building features were then combined with solar radiation data to evaluate solar photovoltaic potential. The proposed method was applied in the Chao Yang District of Beijing, China. The results were that the number of rooftops available for PV systems was 743, the available rooftop area was 678,805 m2, and the annual PV electricity potential was 63.78 GWh/year in the study area, which has great solar PV potential. The method to perform precise calculation of specific rooftop solar PV potential developed in this study will guide the formulation of energy policy for solar PV in the future.

Global solar technology optimization for factory rooftop emissions mitigation

“…Several studies have assessed the available rooftops footprint to estimate the solar potential in different locations based on different approaches. For example, Song et al [20] have assessed rooftop availability s in Chao Yang District of Beijing, China and found that 678 805 m 2 of usable rooftop area could host 63.78 GWh per year of PV electricity generation. The technical potential for rooftop solar PV has also been estimated across the USA [21,22], where it was found that 8.13 billion m 2 of rooftops are suitable to host 1118 GW of PV capacity.…”

Evaluación del potencial técnico y económico de la tecnología solar fotovoltaica para la microgeneración eléctrica en el sector residencial del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito

“…La energía solar es el recurso energético más abundante en la naturaleza, alrededor de 885 millones de TWh alcanzan la superficie terrestre cada año. El uso de la energía solar se constituye, por tanto, en un buen prospecto para el desarrollo sostenible [1], [2].…”

Evaluation of Supply–Demand Adaptation of Photovoltaic–Wind Hybrid Plants Integrated into an Urban Environment

“…The widest field for RES building integration is found in the urban environment. Considerable research has been carried out to determine the PV [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] and wind potential [33][34][35][36] in urban areas and buildings.…”