Estimate Solar Power Potential using ArcGIS Pro & Spatial Analyst extension

ArcGIS Lesson Gallery launched informative lesson on Determine how much electricity could be generated from solar power in a city which briefly describes below.

The goal is for the solar panels to produce a large part of the electric power consumed by each household. With help of ArcGIS Pro with Spatial Analyst extension, now we can determine how much solar radiation each rooftop in the city receives throughout the year. Then, you can estimate how much electric power each rooftop could generate if every suitable building were equipped with solar panels.

To complete this lesson, you need DSM to create a solar radiation raster layer. Then, with the help of Building Footprints, you can identify suitable rooftops for solar panels and calculated how much power these rooftops could generate.

Your results represent a yearly average estimate. However, solar-based electric power production varies according to the season, as day length and hours of sunlight change. You could also perform this lesson's workflow for specific days of the year, such as the winter and summer solstices and the fall and spring equinoxes, to determine the highest, lowest, and medium solar power production values.

Larger buildings tend to have higher electric power production potential than single-unit dwellings. This pattern makes sense because larger buildings have larger roof surfaces. However, larger buildings also have higher electric power needs.

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