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Title: Using GIS-based methods and lidar data to estimate rooftop solar technical potential in US cities

Journal Article · · Environmental Research Letters
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
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Here, we estimate the technical potential of rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) for select US cities by combining light detection and ranging (lidar) data, a validated analytical method for determining rooftop PV suitability employing geographic information systems, and modeling of PV electricity generation. We find that rooftop PV's ability to meet estimated city electricity consumption varies widely - from meeting 16% of annual consumption (in Washington, DC) to meeting 88% (in Mission Viejo, CA). Important drivers include average rooftop suitability, household footprint/per-capita roof space, the quality of the solar resource, and the city's estimated electricity consumption. In addition to city-wide results, we also estimate the ability of aggregations of households to offset their electricity consumption with PV. In a companion article, we will use statistical modeling to extend our results and estimate national rooftop PV technical potential. In addition, our publically available data and methods may help policy makers, utilities, researchers, and others perform customized analyses to meet their specific needs.

Research Organization:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC36-08GO28308
OSTI ID:
1368609
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1373083
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-6A20-68943
Journal Information:
Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 12, Issue 7; ISSN 1748-9326
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 35 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (7)

Tracking the Sun VIII report August 2015
Solar and daylight availability in the urban fabric journal April 2004
Assessment of photovoltaic potential in urban areas using open-source solar radiation tools journal October 2009
Estimating Rooftop Suitability for PV: A Review of Methods, Patents, and Validation Techniques report December 2013
Optimising the economic viability of grid-connected photovoltaic systems journal July 2009
Analysis of the photovoltaic solar energy capacity of residential rooftops in Andalusia (Spain) journal September 2010
Users Manual for TMY3 Data Sets (Revised) report May 2008

Cited By (5)

A data mining approach to estimating rooftop photovoltaic potential in the US journal July 2018
Estimating rooftop solar technical potential across the US using a combination of GIS-based methods, lidar data, and statistical modeling journal February 2018
Stand-Alone Photovoltaic System Assessment in Warmer Urban Areas in Mexico journal January 2018
A GIS-Based Method for Identification of Wide Area Rooftop Suitability for Minimum Size PV Systems Using LiDAR Data and Photogrammetry journal December 2018
A data mining approach to estimating rooftop photovoltaic potential in the US [Supplemental Data] dataset July 2018

Figures / Tables (11)

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Table 1(p. 5)table Table 1
Table 2(p. 6)table Table 2
Figure 7(p. 7)figure Figure 7
Figure 8(p. 8)figure Figure 8
Table 3(p. 10)table Table 3

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Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
rooftop
photovoltaic
technical potential
GIS
lidar
energy generation