IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i16p4301-d256038.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Upper Limit of Distributed Solar PV Capacity in Riyadh: A GIS-Assisted Study

Author

Listed:
  • Amro M Elshurafa

    (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh 11672, Saudi Arabia)

  • Abdel Rahman Muhsen

    (King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Riyadh 11672, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, commonly referred to as distributed generation (DG) solar systems, are deemed important contenders in future sustainable cities. Because deploying DG systems is associated with technical, financial, policy, and market implications that impact utilities, governments, and businesses, quantifying the potential of DG systems that could be deployed in a certain jurisdiction ex ante helps inform the decision-making process for all stakeholders. To that end, the upper limit of rooftop PV systems that could be deployed in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, was assessed with the aid of geographic information systems (GIS). By relying on urban land lot data for different categories, i.e., zones, and the maximum allowable area that could be built within a certain lot using prevailing building codes and regulations, the rooftop area suitable for PV deployment within Riyadh Metro was quantified. The analysis was restricted to rooftops in residential, mosque, shopping mall, and health care buildings only. Following the quantification of the rooftop area, the upper limit of rooftop solar PV capacity that can be deployed in the city of Riyadh was found to be 4.34 GW. This capacity represents nearly 22% of the peak load and can satisfy approximately 9% of the energy requirement in the central region, the region in which Riyadh resides.

Suggested Citation

  • Amro M Elshurafa & Abdel Rahman Muhsen, 2019. "The Upper Limit of Distributed Solar PV Capacity in Riyadh: A GIS-Assisted Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-20, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:16:p:4301-:d:256038
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/16/4301/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/16/4301/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Van Hoesen, John & Letendre, Steven, 2010. "Evaluating potential renewable energy resources in Poultney, Vermont: A GIS-based approach to supporting rural community energy planning," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2114-2122.
    2. McPherson, Madeleine & Karney, Bryan, 2017. "A scenario based approach to designing electricity grids with high variable renewable energy penetrations in Ontario, Canada: Development and application of the SILVER model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 185-196.
    3. Amro Elshurafa & Shahad Albardi & Carlo Andrea Bollino, 2017. "Estimating the Learning Curve of Solar PV Balance-of-Systems for Over 20 Countries," Discussion Papers ks-2017--dp015, King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center.
    4. Bukhary, Saria & Ahmad, Sajjad & Batista, Jacimaria, 2018. "Analyzing land and water requirements for solar deployment in the Southwestern United States," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3288-3305.
    5. Moriarty, Patrick & Honnery, Damon, 2016. "Can renewable energy power the future?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 3-7.
    6. Voigt, Sebastian & De Cian, Enrica & Schymura, Michael & Verdolini, Elena, 2014. "Energy intensity developments in 40 major economies: Structural change or technology improvement?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 47-62.
    7. Jamil, Majid & Anees, Ahmed Sharique, 2016. "Optimal sizing and location of SPV (solar photovoltaic) based MLDG (multiple location distributed generator) in distribution system for loss reduction, voltage profile improvement with economical bene," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 231-239.
    8. Yu-Cheol Jeong & Eul-Bum Lee & Douglas Alleman, 2019. "Reducing Voltage Volatility with Step Voltage Regulators: A Life-Cycle Cost Analysis of Korean Solar Photovoltaic Distributed Generation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-16, February.
    9. Emily Prehoda & Joshua M. Pearce & Chelsea Schelly, 2019. "Policies to Overcome Barriers for Renewable Energy Distributed Generation: A Case Study of Utility Structure and Regulatory Regimes in Michigan," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-23, February.
    10. He Li & Kevin Lo & Mark Wang & Pingyu Zhang & Longyi Xue, 2016. "Industrial Energy Consumption in Northeast China under the Revitalisation Strategy: A Decomposition and Policy Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-13, July.
    11. Weitemeyer, Stefan & Kleinhans, David & Vogt, Thomas & Agert, Carsten, 2015. "Integration of Renewable Energy Sources in future power systems: The role of storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 14-20.
    12. Kucuksari, Sadik & Khaleghi, Amirreza M. & Hamidi, Maryam & Zhang, Ye & Szidarovszky, Ferenc & Bayraksan, Guzin & Son, Young-Jun, 2014. "An Integrated GIS, optimization and simulation framework for optimal PV size and location in campus area environments," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1601-1613.
    13. Chao Bi & Minna Jia & Jingjing Zeng, 2019. "Nonlinear Effect of Public Infrastructure on Energy Intensity in China: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, January.
    14. Zhang, Fang & Deng, Hao & Margolis, Robert & Su, Jun, 2015. "Analysis of distributed-generation photovoltaic deployment, installation time and cost, market barriers, and policies in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 43-55.
    15. Jacqueline Hettel Tidwell & Abraham Tidwell & Steffan Nelson, 2018. "Surveying the Solar Power Gap: Assessing the Spatial Distribution of Emerging Photovoltaic Solar Adoption in the State of Georgia, U.S.A," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-16, November.
    16. Miguel De Simón-Martín & Ana-María Diez-Suárez & Laura Álvarez-de Prado & Alberto González-Martínez & Álvaro De la Puente-Gil & Jorge Blanes-Peiró, 2017. "Development of a GIS Tool for High Precision PV Degradation Monitoring and Supervision: Feasibility Analysis in Large and Small PV Plants," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-29, June.
    17. Kakran, Sandeep & Chanana, Saurabh, 2018. "Smart operations of smart grids integrated with distributed generation: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 524-535.
    18. Hongmei Li & Hantao Cui & Chunjie Li, 2019. "Distribution Network Power Loss Analysis Considering Uncertainties in Distributed Generations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
    19. Mehigan, L. & Deane, J.P. & Gallachóir, B.P.Ó. & Bertsch, V., 2018. "A review of the role of distributed generation (DG) in future electricity systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 822-836.
    20. Deetjen, Thomas A. & Martin, Henry & Rhodes, Joshua D. & Webber, Michael E., 2018. "Modeling the optimal mix and location of wind and solar with transmission and carbon pricing considerations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 35-50.
    21. Panwar, N.L. & Kaushik, S.C. & Kothari, Surendra, 2011. "Role of renewable energy sources in environmental protection: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 15(3), pages 1513-1524, April.
    22. Pereira da Silva, Patrícia & Dantas, Guilherme & Pereira, Guillermo Ivan & Câmara, Lorrane & De Castro, Nivalde J., 2019. "Photovoltaic distributed generation – An international review on diffusion, support policies, and electricity sector regulatory adaptation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 30-39.
    23. Visser, Elke & Perold, Vonica & Ralston-Paton, Samantha & Cardenal, Alvaro C. & Ryan, Peter G., 2019. "Assessing the impacts of a utility-scale photovoltaic solar energy facility on birds in the Northern Cape, South Africa," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 1285-1294.
    24. Dobrotkova, Zuzana & Surana, Kavita & Audinet, Pierre, 2018. "The price of solar energy: Comparing competitive auctions for utility-scale solar PV in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 133-148.
    25. Ian Cronshaw, 2015. "World Energy Outlook 2014 projections to 2040: natural gas and coal trade, and the role of China," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 59(4), pages 571-585, October.
    26. Picciariello, Angela & Vergara, Claudio & Reneses, Javier & Frías, Pablo & Söder, Lennart, 2015. "Electricity distribution tariffs and distributed generation: Quantifying cross-subsidies from consumers to prosumers," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 23-33.
    27. Dusonchet, L. & Telaretti, E., 2015. "Comparative economic analysis of support policies for solar PV in the most representative EU countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 986-998.
    28. Alam Hossain Mondal, Md. & Sadrul Islam, A.K.M., 2011. "Potential and viability of grid-connected solar PV system in Bangladesh," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1869-1874.
    29. Jeffrey Walters & Jessica Kaminsky & Lawrence Gottschamer, 2018. "A Systems Analysis of Factors Influencing Household Solar PV Adoption in Santiago, Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-17, April.
    30. Tiago Sequeira & Marcelo Santos, 2018. "Education and Energy Intensity: Simple Economic Modelling and Preliminary Empirical Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-17, July.
    31. Semeraro, Teodoro & Pomes, Alessandro & Del Giudice, Cecilia & Negro, Danilo & Aretano, Roberta, 2018. "Planning ground based utility scale solar energy as green infrastructure to enhance ecosystem services," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 218-227.
    32. Ehsan, Ali & Yang, Qiang, 2018. "Optimal integration and planning of renewable distributed generation in the power distribution networks: A review of analytical techniques," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 44-59.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mageswaran Rengasamy & Sivasankar Gangatharan & Rajvikram Madurai Elavarasan & Lucian Mihet-Popa, 2020. "The Motivation for Incorporation of Microgrid Technology in Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Deployment to Enhance Energy Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Abdulaziz Alhammad & Qian (Chayn) Sun & Yaguang Tao, 2022. "Optimal Solar Plant Site Identification Using GIS and Remote Sensing: Framework and Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-21, January.
    3. Alharbi, Abdulaziz & Awwad, Zeyad & Habib, Abdulelah & de Weck, Olivier, 2023. "Economical sizing and multi-azimuth layout optimization of grid-connected rooftop photovoltaic systems using Mixed-Integer Programming," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 335(C).
    4. Elshurafa, Amro M. & Alatawi, Hatem & Hasanov, Fakhri J. & Algahtani, Goblan J. & Felder, Frank A., 2022. "Cost, emission, and macroeconomic implications of diesel displacement in the Saudi agricultural sector: Options and policy insights," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    5. Sun, Tao & Shan, Ming & Rong, Xing & Yang, Xudong, 2022. "Estimating the spatial distribution of solar photovoltaic power generation potential on different types of rural rooftops using a deep learning network applied to satellite images," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qunli Wu & Hongjie Zhang, 2019. "Research on Optimization Allocation Scheme of Initial Carbon Emission Quota from the Perspective of Welfare Effect," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-27, June.
    2. Jacek Brożyna & Grzegorz Mentel & Eva Ivanová & Gennadii Sorokin, 2019. "Classification of Renewable Sources of Electricity in the Context of Sustainable Development of the New EU Member States," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-22, June.
    3. Chao Bi & Minna Jia & Jingjing Zeng, 2019. "Nonlinear Effect of Public Infrastructure on Energy Intensity in China: A Panel Smooth Transition Regression Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Felipe Moraes do Nascimento & Julio Cezar Mairesse Siluk & Fernando de Souza Savian & Taís Bisognin Garlet & José Renes Pinheiro & Carlos Ramos, 2020. "Factors for Measuring Photovoltaic Adoption from the Perspective of Operators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-29, April.
    5. Mágui Lage & Rui Castro, 2022. "A Practical Review of the Public Policies Used to Promote the Implementation of PV Technology in Smart Grids: The Case of Portugal," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Sanzana Tabassum & Tanvin Rahman & Ashraf Ul Islam & Sumayya Rahman & Debopriya Roy Dipta & Shidhartho Roy & Naeem Mohammad & Nafiu Nawar & Eklas Hossain, 2021. "Solar Energy in the United States: Development, Challenges and Future Prospects," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-65, December.
    7. Avri Eitan, 2021. "Promoting Renewable Energy to Cope with Climate Change—Policy Discourse in Israel," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-17, March.
    8. Handriyanti Diah Puspitarini & Baptiste François & Marco Baratieri & Casey Brown & Mattia Zaramella & Marco Borga, 2020. "Complementarity between Combined Heat and Power Systems, Solar PV and Hydropower at a District Level: Sensitivity to Climate Characteristics along an Alpine Transect," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Jung, Seunghoon & Jeoung, Jaewon & Kang, Hyuna & Hong, Taehoon, 2021. "Optimal planning of a rooftop PV system using GIS-based reinforcement learning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    10. José Adriano da Costa & David Alves Castelo Branco & Max Chianca Pimentel Filho & Manoel Firmino de Medeiros Júnior & Neilton Fidelis da Silva, 2019. "Optimal Sizing of Photovoltaic Generation in Radial Distribution Systems Using Lagrange Multipliers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Child, Michael & Kemfert, Claudia & Bogdanov, Dmitrii & Breyer, Christian, 2019. "Flexible electricity generation, grid exchange and storage for the transition to a 100% renewable energy system in Europe," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 139, pages 80-101.
    12. Yin, Linfei & Lu, Yuejiang, 2021. "Expandable deep width learning for voltage control of three-state energy model based smart grids containing flexible energy sources," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    13. Costa, Vinicius Braga Ferreira da & Bonatto, Benedito Donizeti, 2023. "Cutting-edge public policy proposal to maximize the long-term benefits of distributed energy resources," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 357-372.
    14. Luis Fernando Grisales-Noreña & Oscar Danilo Montoya & Edward-J. Marín-García & Carlos Andres Ramos-Paja & Alberto-Jesus Perea-Moreno, 2022. "Integration of PV Distributed Generators into Electrical Networks for Investment and Energy Purchase Costs Reduction by Using a Discrete–Continuous Parallel PSO," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-20, October.
    15. Chen, Xia & Zhang, Huimin & Zhao, Xin Xin & Gong, Qiang & Chang, Chun-Ping, 2024. "Do renewable energy investment and financial development mitigate climate change?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    16. Clastres, Cédric & Percebois, Jacques & Rebenaque, Olivier & Solier, Boris, 2019. "Cross subsidies across electricity network users from renewable self-consumption," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-1.
    17. Maciej Chrzanowski & Piotr Zawada, 2023. "Fraction Separation Potential in the Recycling Process of Photovoltaic Panels at the Installation Site—A Conceptual Framework from an Economic and Ecological Safety Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-10, February.
    18. Attia, Ahmed M. & Al Hanbali, Ahmad & Saleh, Haitham H. & Alsawafy, Omar G. & Ghaithan, Ahmed M. & Mohammed, Awsan, 2021. "A multi-objective optimization model for sizing decisions of a grid-connected photovoltaic system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    19. Heymann, Fabian & Miranda, Vladimiro & Soares, Filipe Joel & Duenas, Pablo & Perez Arriaga, Ignacio & Prata, Ricardo, 2019. "Orchestrating incentive designs to reduce adverse system-level effects of large-scale EV/PV adoption – The case of Portugal," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    20. Prata, Ricardo & Carvalho, Pedro M.S., 2018. "Self-supply and regulated tariffs: Dynamic equilibria between photovoltaic market evolution and rate structures to ensure network sustainability," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 111-123.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:16:p:4301-:d:256038. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.