Assessment of solar power potential in a hill state of India using remote sensing and Geographic Information System

Abstract

Estimation of the solar energy potential of the area is a pre-requisite for the large-scale deployment of photovoltaic (PV) panels. This study summarizes the solar PV potential at the rooftop areas of Uttarakhand through satellite imageries. The available rooftop area for solar PV system installation was estimated by a three-step hierarchical process including physical, geographic, and technical aspects. Our results showed that 58% area of the state receives solar radiation greater than 4 kWh/m2/day throughout the year.Using median efficiency (15%) of PV panels, the rooftop solar energy generation potential in hill region of Uttarakhand was estimated at 9.1 GWh from January to March, 12.7 GWh from April to June, 12.4 GWh from July to September and 7.7 GWh from October to December. If all available high irradiance roof-space (technical potential) is utilized for solar power generation it contributes about 57% of the state electricity consumption. The PV potential of field survey reports 27.47 GWh electricity output from the 234.4 MW ground-mounted solar PV systems and 5.9 MW rooftop solar PV systems in the plain district of Uttarakhand.Despite having high solar insolation, hills are ignored as potential solar energy sites due to their topography. Utilizing the flat rooftop surface to harvesting solar energy via solar PV panels can be a solution to issues arising due to undulating terrains of the mountains.