Are you considering a photovoltaic system on your own roof? The new solar atlas with current data explicitly shows regions that are suitable for solar systems.
What annual yield can I expect if I use solar energy? Many homeowners in Germany ask themselves this question.
Companies, political decision-makers and property owners are also interested in the potential of photovoltaics (PV). This now provides information Solar Atlas of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Solar Atlas: Solar systems are worthwhile in these regions
How high is the potential yield of a PV system? By recognizing how roofs are aligned, the model determines the theoretical energy production depending on the hours of sunshine. And thus shows the potential for solar roofs in Germany. Under eosolar.dlr.de the results are available free of charge. They can be represented in different ways:
- Federal states
- Counties
- communities
- Building
The solar roof potential is measured in megawatt hours per year and is color coded: dark purple represents the lowest potential and light orange represents the highest potential. There are eight levels in between.
How accurate is the solar atlas?
In order to determine the solar energy potential for around 20 million buildings, scientists at DLR’s Earth Observation Center (EOC) linked and evaluated current aerial images and basic geospatial information with machine learning methods.
The amount of data covers several terabytes. These include digital aerial images without distortion with a resolution of 20 centimeters and surface models with a high resolution of one meter – provided by the Federal Office of Cartography and Geodesy.
Annekatrin Metz-Marconcini leads the EO Solar project and explains: “In order to describe the current expansion potential for solar energy, we calculate the possible electrical output based on the hours of sunshine, the radiation intensity, the orientation of the roof surfaces and the shading from neighboring buildings or vegetation.”
The Solar Atlas supports the energy transition
Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, CEO of DLR, sees the EO Solar project and the Solar Atlas as a successful interaction between earth observations and climate protection:
The satellite-based information provided by DLR supports the energy transition. This makes them a driver for innovative products and business models.
For “effective strategies and instruments for expanding solar systems on roofs,” decision-makers depend on exact inventory data and the precise expansion potential.
Also interesting:
- Floating solar systems could supply entire countries with electricity
- Solar energy for every roof: Discover the solutions from Green Solar
- Indoor solar cells should make charging cables unnecessary
- Researchers develop tandem solar cells – using a new type of material
The article Solar Atlas: This map shows you in which regions solar systems are worthwhile by André Gabriel first appeared on BASIC thinking. Follow us too Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.