Estimation of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Potential Based on High-Resolution Images and Digital Surface Models

Abstract

Buildings are important components of urban areas, and the construction of rooftop photovoltaic systems plays a critical role in the transition to renewable energy generation. With rooftop solar photovoltaics receiving increased attention, the problem of how to estimate rooftop photovoltaics is under discussion; building detection from remote sensing images is one way to address it. In this study, we presented an available approach to estimate a building’s rooftop solar photovoltaic potential. A rapid and accurate rooftop extraction method was developed using object-based image classification combining normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and digital surface models (DSMs), and a method for the identification of suitable rooftops for solar panel installation by analysing the geographical restrictions was proposed. The approach was validated using six scenes from Beijing that were taken using Chinese Gaofen-2 (GF-2) satellite imagery and Pleiades imagery. A total of 176 roofs in six scenarios were suitable for PV installation, and the estimated photovoltaic panel area was 205,827 m2. The rooftop photovoltaic potential was estimated to total 22,551 GWh. The results indicated that the rooftop photovoltaic potential estimation method performs well.