Most of the research work in the solar potential analysis is performed
utilizing aerial imagery, LiDAR data, and satellite imagery. However, in the
existing studies using satellite data, parameters such as trees/ vegetation
shadow, adjacent higher architectural structures, and eccentric roof structures
in urban areas were not considered, and relatively coarser-resolution datasets
were used for analysis. In this work, we have implemented a novel approach to
estimate rooftop solar potential using inputs of high-resolution satellite
imagery (0.5 cm), a digital elevation model (1m), along with ground station
radiation data. Solar radiation analysis is performed using the diffusion
proportion and transmissivity ratio derived from the ground station data hosted
by IMD. It was observed that due to seasonal variations, environmental effects
and technical reasons such as solar panel structure etc., there can be a
significant loss of electricity generation up to 50%. Based on the results, it
is also understood that using 1m DEM and 50cm satellite imagery, more authentic
results are produced over the urban areas.