Identifying land cover suitability factors for photovoltaic installations with focus on cropland and urban areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhura Yeligeti ◽  
Wenxuan Hu ◽  
Yvonne Scholz ◽  
Kai von Krbek
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Settlements

<p>Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will foreseeably be an integral part of future energy systems. Land cover area analysis has a large influence on estimatiin of long-term solar photovoltaic potential of the world in high spatial detail. In this regard, it is often seen in contemporary works, that the suitability of various land cover categories for PV installation is considered in a yes/no binary response. While some areas like natural parks, sanctuaries, forests are usually completely exempted from PV potential calculations, other land over categories like urban settlements, bare, sparsely vegetated areas, and even cropland can principally support PV installations to varying degrees. This depends on the specific land use competition, social, economic and climatic conditions, etc. In this study, we attempt to evaluate these ‘factors of suitability’ of different land cover types for PV installations.</p><p>As a basis, the openly available global land cover datasets from the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service were used to identify major land cover types like cropland, shrubland, bare, wetlands, urban settlements, forests, moss and snow etc. For open area PV installations, with a focus on cropland, we incorporated the promising technology of ‘Agri-voltaics’ in our investigation. Different crops have shown to respond positively or negatively, so far, to growing under PV panels according to various experimental and commercial sources. Hence, we considered 18 major crops of the world (covering 85% of world cropland) individually and consequently, evaluated a weighted overall suitability factor of cropland cover for PV, for three acceptance scenarios of future.</p><p>For rooftop PV installations in urban areas, various socio-economic and geographical influences come in play. The rooftop area available and further usable for PV depends on housing patterns (roof type, housing density) which vary with climate, population density and socio-economic lifestyle. We classified global urban areas into several clusters based on combinations of these factors. For each cluster, rooftop area suitability is evaluated at a representative location using the land cover maps, the Open Street Map and specific characteristics of the cluster.</p><p>Overall, we present an interdisciplinary approach to integrate technological, social and economic aspects in land cover analysis to estimate PV potentials. While the intricacies may still be insufficient for planning small localized energy systems, this can reasonably benefit energy system modelling from a regional to international scale.</p>

Impact of Urban Land Cover Types on Surface Temperature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzie Naserikia ◽  
Melissa Hart ◽  
Negin Nazarian
Keyword(s):  
Land Cover ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Cooling Effects

<p>The conversion of natural land to built-up surfaces has been widely documented as the main determinant of warming across urban areas. However, uncertainties remain regarding which primary land cover variables control urban heat in different climatic conditions at a global scale. While there is a very little understanding of how the cooling effects of vegetation cover vary over different cities, there is a deep knowledge gap in realizing how other land covers (such as soil, water, and built-up areas) are associated with urban warming and how this relationship is varied in different background climates. Accordingly, using a high spatial resolution dataset, a global synthetic investigation is needed to find the underlying factors influencing intra-urban temperature variability in various climates. To address this shortcoming, this study focuses on exploring the relationship between land surface temperature and land cover in different cities (using Landsat 8 imagery) and aims to investigate the effects of these land cover types on thermal environments in different climatic backgrounds. Preliminary analysis shows that different land cover types have different roles in different climate classes due to their various surface characteristics and in particular, the performance of green spaces to reduce LST is highly dependent on its background climate. For example, the efficiency of vegetation cover to reduce urban surface warming in temperate and tropical climates is more than that in arid and semi-arid areas. In this climate class, since baren soil is the main contributor to the intensity of LST, increasing the area of a green space presents an effective method to mitigate the adverse effects of local warming. Our findings provide helpful information for future urban climate-sensitive planning oriented at mitigating local climate warming in cities.</p>

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

2021 ◽  
Vol 933 (1) ◽  
pp. 012024
Author(s):  
A Zakiah ◽  
R B Aditya
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Solar Photovoltaic ◽  
Solar Pv ◽  
Land Cover Types ◽  
Urban Land Cover

Abstract 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.

scholarly journals The Potential Of Simulating Energy Systems: The Multi Energy Systems Simulator Model

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Bottecchia ◽  
Pietro Lubello ◽  
Pietro Zambelli ◽  
Carlo Carcasci ◽  
Lukas Kranzl
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Energy System ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Energy System Model ◽  
Urban Level

Energy system modelling is an essential practice to assist a set of heterogeneous stakeholders in the process of defining an effective and efficient energy transition. From the analysis of a set of open source energy system models, it has emerged that most models employ an approach directed at finding the optimal solution for a given set of constraints. On the contrary, a simulation model is a representation of a system that is used to reproduce and understand its behaviour under given conditions, without seeking an optimal solution. Given the lack of simulation models that are also fully open source, in this paper a new open source energy system model is presented. The developed tool, called Multi Energy Systems Simulator (MESS), is a modular, multi-node model that allows to investigate non optimal solutions by simulating the energy system. The model has been built having in mind urban level analyses. However, each node can represent larger regions allowing wider spatial scales to be be represented as well. MESS is capable of performing analysis on systems composed by multiple energy carriers (e.g. electricity, heat, fuels). In this work, the tool’s features will be presented by a comparison between MESS itself and an optimization model, in order to analyze and highlight the differences between the two approaches, the potentialities of a simulation tool and possible areas for further development.

scholarly journals Role of the national energy system modelling in the process of the policy development

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 703-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matevz Pusnik ◽  
Boris Sucic ◽  
Andreja Urbancic ◽  
Stane Merse
Keyword(s):  
System Analysis ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Calculated Data ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Alternative Possibilities ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Small Energy ◽  
New Approach

Strategic planning and decision making, nonetheless making energy policies and strategies, is very extensive process and has to follow multiple and often contradictory objectives. During the preparation of the new Slovenian Energy Programme proposal, complete update of the technology and sector oriented bottom up model of Reference Energy and Environmental System of Slovenia (REES-SLO) has been done. During the redevelopment of the REES-SLO model trade-off between the simulation and optimisation approach has been done, favouring presentation of relations between controls and their effects rather than the elusive optimality of results which can be misleading for small energy systems. Scenario-based planning was integrated into the MESAP (Modular Energy System Analysis and Planning) environment, allowing integration of past, present and planned (calculated) data in a comprehensive overall system. Within the paper, the main technical, economic and environmental characteristics of the Slovenian energy system model REES-SLO are described. This paper presents a new approach in modelling relatively small energy systems which goes beyond investment in particular technologies or categories of technology and allows smooth transition to low carbon economy. Presented research work confirms that transition from environment unfriendly fossil fuelled economy to sustainable and climate friendly development requires a new approach, which must be based on excellent knowledge of alternative possibilities of development and especially awareness about new opportunities in exploitation of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Multi-Scale, Multi-Dimensional Modelling of Future Energy Systems

2015 ◽  
pp. 113-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Spataru ◽  
Andreas Koch ◽  
Pierrick Bouffaron
Keyword(s):  
Material Science ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Energy System ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
Power System Engineering

This chapter provides a discussion of current multi-scale energy systems expressed by a multitude of data and simulation models, and how these modelling approaches can be (re)designed or combined to improve the representation of such system. It aims to address the knowledge gap in energy system modelling in order to better understand its existing and future challenges. The frontiers between operational algorithms embedded in hardware and modelling control strategies are becoming fuzzier: therefore the paradigm of modelling intelligent urban energy systems for the future has to be constantly evolving. The chapter concludes on the need to build a holistic, multi-dimensional and multi-scale framework in order to address tomorrow's urban energy challenges. Advances in multi-scale methods applied to material science, chemistry, fluid dynamics, and biology have not been transferred to the full extend to power system engineering. New tools are therefore necessary to describe dynamics of coupled energy systems with optimal control.

The Political Economy of Land and Urban Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 343-359
Author(s):  
Kudzanai Bvochora ◽  
Bernard Kusena
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Increase ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Many urban areas which have sprouted around the world owe their economic and social origins in growth points and market centers. Situated about 15 kilometers south-east of Harare, Epworth became one of Zimbabwe's largest peri-urban settlements due to the combined effect of demographic, political, and socioeconomic factors, among others. This chapter interrogates the various forces behind this unprecedented population growth. It demonstrates the relationship between Epworth's ballooning population and the various pull and push factors of urbanization. For example, immigration contributed immensely to this rise, although natural increase in births also contributed fairly significantly. This chapter examines the impact of population dynamics and other variables that were linked to the rapid expansion of Epworth on the overall development processes, arguing that economic and social infrastructure became conditioned by such dynamics.

scholarly journals HYRES: A Multi-Objective Optimization Tool for Proper Configuration of Renewable Hybrid Energy Systems

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katheryn Donado ◽  
Loraine Navarro ◽  
Christian G. Quintero M. ◽  
Mauricio Pardo
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Hybrid Energy ◽  
Multi Objective ◽  
Viability Analysis ◽  
Hybrid Renewable Energy System ◽  
Cost Benefit Ratio

This paper presents the Hybrid Renewable Energy System (HYRES), a powerful tool to contribute to the viability analysis of energy systems involving renewable generators. HYRES considers various input parameters related to climatic conditions, statistical reliability, and economic views; in addition to offering multi-objective optimizations using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) that have a better cost-benefit ratio than mono-objective optimization, which is the technique used in several commercial systems like HOMER, a worldwide leader in microgrid modeling. The use of intelligent techniques in HYRES allows optimal sizing of hybrid renewable systems with wind and solar energy generators adapted to different conditions and case studies. The elements that affect the system design like buying and selling energy from/to the grid and the use of storage units can be included in system configuration according to the need. Optimization approaches are selectable and include Initial Cost, Life Cycle Cost, Loss of Power Probability, and Loss of Power Supply Probability.

scholarly journals A New Framework to Evaluate Urban Design Using Urban Microclimatic Modelling in Future Climatic Conditions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasaraden Mauree ◽  
Silvia Coccolo ◽  
Dasun Perera ◽  
Vahid Nik ◽  
Jean-Louis Scartezzini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Local Climate ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

Building more energy efficient and sustainable urban areas that will both mitigate the effect of climate change and adapt for the future climate, requires the development new tools and methods that can help urban planners, architect and communities achieve this goal. In the current study, we designed a workflow that links different methodologies developed separately, to derive the energy consumption of a university school campus for the future. Three different scenarios for typical future years (2039, 2069, 2099) were run as well as a renovation scenario (Minergie-P). We analyse the impact of climate change on the heating and cooling demand of the buildings and determined the relevance of the accounting of the local climate in this particular context. The results from the simulations showed that in the future there will a constant decrease in the heating demand while for the cooling demand there will be a significant increase. It was further demonstrated that when the local climate was taken into account there was an even higher rise in the cooling demand but also that the proposed renovations were not sufficient to design resilient buildings. We then discuss the implication of this work on the simulation of building energy consumption at the neighbourhood scale and the impact of future local climate on energy system design. We finally give a few perspective regarding improved urban design and possible pathways for the future urban areas.

scholarly journals GREEN ENERGY: SALVATION OR THREAT TO THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC AND ENERGY SYSTEM

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergiy Korinnyi ◽  
Mariia Mikhailutsa ◽  
Anastasiia Bondarenko
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Alternative Energy ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Green Energy ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The World

The article examines a set of issues related to "green energy" in the world, problems and opportunities from the introduction of alternative energy sources for greening the economy, developing sustainable economy and preserving human potential. Analytical works of some Ukrainian authors have been studied, in which the current state, obstacles to the realization and prospects of "green energy" in the world have been determined. The purpose of the article is to refute the allegations about the need to immediately stop the introduction of "green technologies", including the construction of solar stations. There are two opposing views on the need for green energy, which have been being discussed around the world for the past few decades. The most popular evidence from both sides on this issue is given, in particular, that the planet can be saved only through the active use of renewable energy sources, and on the other hand, that "green energy" at the current level of human development will cause even more environmental and economic problems. The arguments most often expressed by opponents of the active introduction of "green energy" are highlighted, namely: the high cost of new technologies compared to existing types of generation; the inability of "green energy" to solve the problem of warming on the planet with reference to scientific research on the amount of CO2 emissions from different types of generation as a major factor in warming; danger to the energy systems of all countries of the world due to the instability of energy production by natural factors. Counter-arguments on these issues are provided and evidence of the ability and necessity to use clean technologies is provided. The problem, on which the opinions of both parties coincide, is highlighted - the reluctance of "green" investors to spend money on storage systems, energy storage and stabilization of energy systems due to their high cost, size, insufficient energy consumption and insufficient duration of work. It is noted that the issue of developing the latest energy storage and stabilization systems and their installation at new and existing RES stations needs to be addressed immediately, but is not an obstacle to the further development of green energy.

scholarly journals The Potential of Simulating Energy Systems: The Multi Energy Systems Simulator Model

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5724
Author(s):  
Luigi Bottecchia ◽  
Pietro Lubello ◽  
Pietro Zambelli ◽  
Carlo Carcasci ◽  
Lukas Kranzl
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Energy System ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Energy System Model ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
Realistic Description

Energy system modelling is an essential practice to assist a set of heterogeneous stakeholders in the process of defining an effective and efficient energy transition. From the analysis of a set of open-source energy system models, it emerged that most models employ an approach directed at finding the optimal solution for a given set of constraints. On the contrary, a simulation model is a representation of a system used to reproduce and understand its behaviour under given conditions without seeking an optimal solution. In this paper, a new open-source energy system model is presented. Multi Energy Systems Simulator (MESS) is a modular, multi-energy carrier, multi-node model that allows the investigation of non optimal solutions by simulating an energy system. The model was built for urban level analyses. However, each node can represent larger regions allowing wider spatial scales to be represented as well. In this work, the tool’s features are presented through a comparison between MESS and Calliope, a state of the art optimization model, to analyse and highlight the differences between the two approaches, the potentialities of a simulation tool and possible areas for further development. The two models produced coherent results, showing differences that were tracked down to the different approaches. Based on the comparison conducted, general conclusions were drawn on the potential of simulating energy systems in terms of a more realistic description of smaller energy systems, lower computational times and increased opportunity for participatory processes in planning urban energy systems.

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