Atlas reveals the potential of solar energy in Germany
Which roofs are suitable for solar panel installations? Where have photovoltaic systems already been installed? How much return can be achieved with solar panels at specific locations? A map developed by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) provides the answers. The DLR researchers used machine learning methods to process current aerial photographs and geodata, allowing them to determine the solar energy potential for the entire stock in Germany of approximately 20 million buildings. The results for the entire country are publicly available at eosolar.dlr.de.
The Solar Atlas will be presented at the ILA in Berlin, where DLR will present its research and development work in the areas of aviation, space, energy, transport, digitalization and security.
“Policymakers need accurate information on current inventory and growth potential to devise and implement effective strategies for expanding rooftop photovoltaic systems,” explains Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, chairman of the DLR board of directors.
“DLR’s satellite-derived information supports the energy transition and drives innovative products and business models. The DLR Solar Atlas shows how Earth observation can be successfully used for climate protection and the sustainable expansion of energy generation.”
Evaluated multiple terabytes of data
As part of the EO Solar project, researchers from the DLR Earth Observation Center (EOC) evaluate and combine several terabytes of data from different sources to outline the current situation in Germany. This includes digital, distortion-free aerial photographs with a resolution of 20 centimeters and high-quality surface models with a resolution of one meter, made available by the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy.
“To evaluate the current solar energy expansion potential, we calculate the possible electrical yield based on the hours of sunshine, radiation intensity, orientation of roof surfaces and shading of adjacent buildings or vegetation,” says Annekatrin Metz-Marconcini, head of EO Solar project.
“DLR has also developed a process using artificial intelligence that allows us to identify roofs with existing solar panels around the world based on high-resolution remote sensing data. In Germany we have included the Core Energy Market Data Register in the information we use.” The Core Energy Market Data Register lists all registered German solar panel installations and is updated daily.
Instead of building models, EO Solar uses digital terrain models, including those generated using aircraft and satellites. These models automatically take into account shade from trees and the environment, and the process can be expanded to countries that do not have building models. Except for the roofs of buildings, the solar energy potential of open spaces can also be calculated using the same methodology and then taken into account for planning purposes.
Solar potential identified for municipalities, districts and states
Existing solar panel registers for states, districts or municipalities often differ in the level of information included, may not be detailed or are limited to certain areas. The DLR Solar Atlas, on the other hand, provides an up-to-date, systematic mapping of the whole of Germany and as such provides both policymakers and planners with a basis for promoting the targeted expansion of photovoltaic systems.
DLR researchers have already created a similar map for Austria as part of an ESA project. For data protection reasons, it is not possible to map the expansion potential of solar energy for individual buildings on a publicly available website in Germany, so the expansion potential is shown at municipal, district or federal level. The publicly accessible website eosolar.dlr.de was recently set up for this purpose.
