Assessing the Potential of Solar PV Installation based on Urban Land Cover Analysis

This paper presents a technical assessment of solar photovoltaic (PV) installation potential in urban areas based on its urban land cover type, using a case study of Indonesian cities including Yogyakarta, Kupang and Tomohon. The assessment was performed using a free online application to assess the urban land cover types, i-Tree Canopy. This application can be used to identify and distinguish urban land cover types such as building rooftop, vegetation, grass, soil, road and water, which then can be used to assess the suitable area for Solar PV installation. Additionally, solar photovoltaic power output data from Global Solar Atlas is used to calculate potential energy production from PV installations in each city. The result shows that in an urbanised city such as Yogyakarta, the most suitable PV installation is in building rooftops. Meanwhile, Kupang and Tomohon have higher potential for ground-mounted PV installation in bare ground or grass. The approach and result of this study could be used for planners and policymakers to determine city-scale solar PV installation planning to maximise solar energy production. It can also be used to calculate the solar energy estimation using free online applications, which is easy to use and more accessible for stakeholders.