Kiernan Johnson

3 March 2015
Solar Panel Suitability Modelling For Eau Clare
Project Background:
The effective utilization of solar power is an increasingly relevant topic
in the modern age. In order to alleviate societys dependence on fossil fuels
and non-renewable energy resources, alternate means of generating
electricity must be employed. Solar energy is the root of almost all power we
currently generate, whether it be stored in the form of long dead plant
matter, or one of the currently harvested forms of renewable energy that are
directly or indirectly related to the sun. As technology progresses and new
materials are discovered, the efficiency with which we can directly harvest
the suns radiation will increase, and the spread of solar power generations
will also increase. In order to bring this about, this project will seek to
determine the best rooftop locations for solar panel installation within an
area of the city of Eau Claire Wisconsin, using a suitability model that
incorporates average solar radiation, roof slope, shadow, and solar aspect.
This particular area was chosen as my study area for the varying heights of
buildings, as well as the variety of terrain that the buildings occupy, which
should lead to a plethora of unique results encompassing most possible
outcomes and situations. The intended audience for this project includes

solar panel manufacturers, businesses seeking to go green, and

environmentally conscious individuals and city planners.

The main aim of this project is to evaluate rooftops in the study area of
the city of Eau Claire for their suitability for solar panel installation. To do
this, several separate objectives must be accomplished. The first objective
will be to collect and preprocess the required data. This will involve obtaining
LiDAR data for Eau Claire county, and creating an LAS dataset from it. The
second step will be to extract rooftop information on the various buildings in
Eau Claire from the LAS dataset. A digital surface model (DSM) will be
generated from the LiDAR data as well, to aid in the elevation analysis. The
general process includes converting the LAS files to multipoint features, then
creating a terrain feature from the multipoint. From the terrain file, a DSM
will be produced, and then used to create one of many layers for the
suitability model. The final product will include all of the aforementioned data

as well as layers and maps detailing the final analysis of the study area.

Figure 1. This figure details the intended study area for the solar suitability study - Eau Claire,
Wisconsin

Data:
The first piece of data required to complete this project is the study area
boundary, which at this point is a polygon stretched to cover the majority of

the city of Eau Claire. The second primary piece of data is the LiDAR point
cloud data. The university already has a LiDAR file for Eau Claire.
Methodology:
This projects methodology will focus on using the LiDAR data for the city,
and manipulating it to extract information to create a DSM. The DSM will be
used in conjunction with the LiDAR data to create a variety of layers that will
identify suitable rooftops in the study area. These layers include: slope,
aspect, shadow, and solar radiation. Once all of these factors are isolated,
they will be clipped to the rooftops of buildings, preventing mapping errors,
and misplacement. Once all layers are appropriately formatted and verified
as applying only to rooftops, they will be combined into a final suitability
model which will then be reclassified to rank the rooftops along an index (to
be determined) for ideal solar panel placement,
Project Approach:
I will be determining optimal placement of rooftop solar panels for maximum
energy gain by using overlay analysis. My final model will be inductive in
nature. The geospatial question of which roof surfaces are best will be
analyzed in several general steps defined by (Environmental Science
Research Institution) ESRI for site specific suitability models.
1. Define the problem: Where would be the best place in the study area
(Eau Claire, WI) to mount rooftop solar panels to maximize gain and
get the best (Return of Investment) ROI?

2. Break the problem into sub-models: I will create two unique

models to address my geospatial question. One will preprocess the
LiDAR point cloud obtained from the university (UWEC 2014), to create
a usable DSM for inclusion into the second model. The second model
will be used to highlight and define suitability of buildings identified
from the DSM.
3. Determine significant layers: The Significant layers of all relevant
models are: building rooftop outlines extracted from LiDAR data and
DSM, slope raster, aspect raster, shadow raster, and a sunlight
insolation raster. The slope, aspect, shadow, and sunlight insolation
layers will be derived from a DSM, a terrain model, and the LiDAR data.
4. Reclassify or transform the data within a layer: All created raster
layers will be reclassified on a scale of to be determined, ranging from
low to high, with low being unsuitable, and high being suitable
5. Weight the input layers: Unless some single variable skews the data
significantly enough to influence the overall model, no weighting
should be necessary.
6. Add or combine the layers: Using model builder, the input layers
will be combined to create a suitability model.
7. Analyze: The output of the model will be evaluated to determine if it
successfully pinpointed the locations for optimal solar panel
placement. In the future, a survey may be conducted to determine
whether or any solar panels exist in the city and if they are installed
with regards to the optimal arrangement dictated by this model.
Expected Results:

The expected results of the solar analysis will model all solar gain and
related factors to rooftops in the study area, displaying a ranked value along
a scale which will indicate the level of suitability for the installation of solar
panels. Ranked values will likely stretch from a scale of 1 to 25, with one
indicating poor suitability and 25 indicating optimal suitability for installation.
As discussed in the extraction paper, authored by Yang, Xu, and Dong
(2013), the rooftops of the buildings will be extracted with a high level of
completeness and correctness, and as such should be extremely accurate.
They should in fact be accurate enough to mirror the resolution of the LiDAR
data. The final product will be a projected map, on a labeled surface of
satellite imagery focused on the study area and bounded by a distinct border
polygon. The purpose of this map will be to clearly illustrate to observers the
accuracy of the map in real world terms, granting any observer a real-world
context to view. There is also potential for the development of a python
script capable of performing the necessary steps given the correct files as
input, or even a web application which will apply the process to a larger scale
map.
Conclusion:
The overall purpose of this proposal is to detail the objectives that will
answer the geospatial question at the heart of the project. Where would be
the optimal locations to place rooftop solar panels within the city of Eau
Claire, WI. The project will employ locally gathered, precision data (LiDAR) to
precisely and accurately model the solution to this question. By utilizing the

LiDAR data gathered beforehand by the universitys Geography department,

the project will be a virtually costless way to address a pertinent question for
the environmentally conscious in todays society. By utilizing ArcGIS,
specifically the model builder tool to process all of the data, a clear workflow
will be established, such that the results of the study will be repeatable by
anyone with access to the raw data and the ArcGIS program. In addition to
creating a series of relevant maps highlighting solar suitability of the study
area, the results of the project will be easily applicable to any other location,
provided that similar datasets can be procured. This will allow anyone,
anywhere that there is sufficiently accurate LiDAR data, to answer for
themselves the question of solar suitability.
Sources:

Lukac N, Zlaus D, Seme S, Zalik B, Stumberger G. Rating of roofs surfaces regarding their
solar potential and suitability for PV systems, based on LiDAR data. Applied Energy 2013;
102:803-812
Nguyen HT, Pearce JM, Harrap R, Barber G. The Application of LiDAR to Assessment of
Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Deployment Potential in a Municipal District Unit. Sensors.
2012; 12(4):4534-4558.
Kucuksari S, Khaleghi AM, Zhang Y et al; An Integrated GIS, optimization and simulation
framework for optimal PV size and location in campus area environments. Applied Energy
2014

113: 1601-1613
Yang, B., Xu, W., Dong, Z. (2013). Automated Extraction of Building Outlines
From Airborne Laser Scanning Point Coulds. IEEE Geoscience and
Remote Sensing Letters, Vol. 10, No. 6.