IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i5p2020-d1348782.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Use of Machine Learning Techniques on Aerial Imagery for the Extraction of Photovoltaic Data within the Urban Morphology

Author

Listed:
  • Fabio Giussani

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
    Laboratorio di Simulazione Urbana Fausto Curti, Department of Architecture and Urban Studies (DASTU), Politecnico of Milan, Via Bonardi, 3, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Eric Wilczynski

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

  • Claudio Zandonella Callegher

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

  • Giovanni Dalle Nogare

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

  • Cristian Pozza

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

  • Antonio Novelli

    (RHEA Group, Via di Grotte Portella 28, Edificio Clorofilla, Scala C, Piano 3, 00044 Frascati, Italy)

  • Simon Pezzutto

    (Eurac Research, Institute for Renewable Energy, Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy)

Abstract

Locating and quantifying photovoltaic (PV) installations is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process, but it is necessary for monitoring their distribution. In the absence of existing data, the use of aerial imagery and automated detection algorithms can improve the efficiency and accuracy of the data collection process. This study presents a machine learning approach for the analysis of PV installations in urban areas based on less complex and resource-intensive models to target the challenge of data scarcity. The first objective of this work is to develop a model that can automatically detect PV installations from aerial imagery and test it based on the case study of Crevillent, Spain. Subsequently, the work estimates the PV capacity in Crevillent, and it compares the distribution of PV installations between residential and industrial areas. The analysis utilizes machine learning techniques and existing bottom-up data to assess land use and building typology for PV installations, identifying deployment patterns across the town. The proposed approach achieves an accuracy of 67% in detecting existing PV installations. These findings demonstrate that simple machine learning models still provide a reliable and cost-effective way to obtain data for decision-making in the fields of energy and urban planning, particularly in areas with limited access to existing data. Combining this technology with bottom-up data can lead to more comprehensive insights and better outcomes for urban areas seeking to optimize and decarbonize their energy supply while minimizing economic resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabio Giussani & Eric Wilczynski & Claudio Zandonella Callegher & Giovanni Dalle Nogare & Cristian Pozza & Antonio Novelli & Simon Pezzutto, 2024. "Use of Machine Learning Techniques on Aerial Imagery for the Extraction of Photovoltaic Data within the Urban Morphology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-16, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2020-:d:1348782
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2020/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/5/2020/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ren, Simiao & Hu, Wayne & Bradbury, Kyle & Harrison-Atlas, Dylan & Malaguzzi Valeri, Laura & Murray, Brian & Malof, Jordan M., 2022. "Automated Extraction of Energy Systems Information from Remotely Sensed Data: A Review and Analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    2. Mayer, Kevin & Rausch, Benjamin & Arlt, Marie-Louise & Gust, Gunther & Wang, Zhecheng & Neumann, Dirk & Rajagopal, Ram, 2022. "3D-PV-Locator: Large-scale detection of rooftop-mounted photovoltaic systems in 3D," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    3. Malof, Jordan M. & Bradbury, Kyle & Collins, Leslie M. & Newell, Richard G., 2016. "Automatic detection of solar photovoltaic arrays in high resolution aerial imagery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 229-240.
    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. Boris I. Evstatiev & Dimitar T. Trifonov & Katerina G. Gabrovska-Evstatieva & Nikolay P. Valov & Nicola P. Mihailov, 2024. "PV Module Soiling Detection Using Visible Spectrum Imaging and Machine Learning," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-20, October.

    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. Mao, Hongzhi & Chen, Xie & Luo, Yongqiang & Deng, Jie & Tian, Zhiyong & Yu, Jinghua & Xiao, Yimin & Fan, Jianhua, 2023. "Advances and prospects on estimating solar photovoltaic installation capacity and potential based on satellite and aerial images," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Gabriel Kasmi & Augustin Touron & Philippe Blanc & Yves-Marie Saint-Drenan & Maxime Fortin & Laurent Dubus, 2024. "Remote-Sensing-Based Estimation of Rooftop Photovoltaic Power Production Using Physical Conversion Models and Weather Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-22, August.
    3. Chen, Qi & Li, Xinyuan & Zhang, Zhengjia & Zhou, Chao & Guo, Zhiling & Liu, Zhengguang & Zhang, Haoran, 2023. "Remote sensing of photovoltaic scenarios: Techniques, applications and future directions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    4. Hu, Wei & Bradbury, Kyle & Malof, Jordan M. & Li, Boning & Huang, Bohao & Streltsov, Artem & Sydny Fujita, K. & Hoen, Ben, 2022. "What you get is not always what you see—pitfalls in solar array assessment using overhead imagery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    5. Müller, Jonas & Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2020. "Spatial projections of solar PV installations at subnational level: Accuracy testing of regression models," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    6. Konstantinos Ioannou & Dimitrios Myronidis, 2021. "Automatic Detection of Photovoltaic Farms Using Satellite Imagery and Convolutional Neural Networks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-15, May.
    7. Zech, Matthias & von Bremen, Lueder, 2024. "End-to-end learning of representative PV capacity factors from aggregated PV feed-ins," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    8. Yagli, Gokhan Mert & Yang, Dazhi & Gandhi, Oktoviano & Srinivasan, Dipti, 2020. "Can we justify producing univariate machine-learning forecasts with satellite-derived solar irradiance?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    9. Cardoso, Andressa & Jurado-Rodríguez, David & López, Alfonso & Ramos, M. Isabel & Jurado, Juan Manuel, 2024. "Automated detection and tracking of photovoltaic modules from 3D remote sensing data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 367(C).
    10. Liu, Jingxuan & Zang, Haixiang & Cheng, Lilin & Ding, Tao & Wei, Zhinong & Sun, Guoqiang, 2023. "A Transformer-based multimodal-learning framework using sky images for ultra-short-term solar irradiance forecasting," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 342(C).
    11. Marcela Bindzarova Gergelova & Slavomir Labant & Stefan Kuzevic & Zofia Kuzevicova & Henrieta Pavolova, 2020. "Identification of Roof Surfaces from LiDAR Cloud Points by GIS Tools: A Case Study of Lučenec, Slovakia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-19, August.
    12. Slavomir Labant & Patrik Petovsky & Pavel Sustek & Lubomir Leicher, 2024. "Accuracy of Determination of Corresponding Points from Available Providers of Spatial Data—A Case Study from Slovakia," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-18, June.
    13. Li, Kangping & Wang, Fei & Mi, Zengqiang & Fotuhi-Firuzabad, Mahmoud & Duić, Neven & Wang, Tieqiang, 2019. "Capacity and output power estimation approach of individual behind-the-meter distributed photovoltaic system for demand response baseline estimation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    14. Mayer, Kevin & Rausch, Benjamin & Arlt, Marie-Louise & Gust, Gunther & Wang, Zhecheng & Neumann, Dirk & Rajagopal, Ram, 2022. "3D-PV-Locator: Large-scale detection of rooftop-mounted photovoltaic systems in 3D," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    15. Juan-Pablo Villegas-Ceballos & Mateo Rico-Garcia & Carlos Andres Ramos-Paja, 2022. "Dataset for Detecting the Electrical Behavior of Photovoltaic Panels from RGB Images," Data, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-12, June.
    16. Mayer, Kevin & Haas, Lukas & Huang, Tianyuan & Bernabé-Moreno, Juan & Rajagopal, Ram & Fischer, Martin, 2023. "Estimating building energy efficiency from street view imagery, aerial imagery, and land surface temperature data," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    17. Lu, Ning & Li, Liang & Qin, Jun, 2024. "PV Identifier: Extraction of small-scale distributed photovoltaics in complex environments from high spatial resolution remote sensing images," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 365(C).
    18. Yin, Hui & Zhou, Kaile, 2022. "Performance evaluation of China's photovoltaic poverty alleviation project using machine learning and satellite images," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    19. Justinas Lekavičius & Valentas Gružauskas, 2024. "Data Augmentation with Generative Adversarial Network for Solar Panel Segmentation from Remote Sensing Images," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-20, June.
    20. Tan, Hongjun & Guo, Zhiling & Zhang, Haoran & Chen, Qi & Lin, Zhenjia & Chen, Yuntian & Yan, Jinyue, 2023. "Enhancing PV panel segmentation in remote sensing images with constraint refinement modules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 350(C).

    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:16:y:2024:i:5:p:2020-:d:1348782. 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.