Evaluating the potential of integrated solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of buildings using GIS open source techniques

This paper was developed as part of the European research project Cities on Power (CoP) with the objective of promoting the use of renewable energy sources in urban areas. The aim is to encourage citizens to take part in the decision-making process regarding their energy supply with the use of a free geographic information tool. The solar irradiation models present in scientific literature are applied to a three-dimensional model of the territory and the buildings located on it (DSM – Digital Surface Model), which considers the slope and direction of the terrain as well as the three-dimensional nature of the built-up area, made by extruding models of the buildings up to the height of the gutters, and their flat or sloping roofs. From the incident solar irradiation we can calculate the electricity that can be produced with the photovoltaic technologies currently available on the market suitable for installation on the roofs of residential buildings. This procedure has been applied throughout the built-up residential area in the Province of Turin to verify the potential of integrated photovoltaic technology on roofs to satisfy the area’s demand for electricity