Submit to Remote Sensing Review for Remote Sensing Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser

Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2023) | Viewed by 23821

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Panagiotis Kosmopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development & Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications and Remote Sensing, National Observatory of Athens, 15236 Penteli, Greece
Interests: sustainable development; renewable energy; environmental research; earth observation; atmospheric impacts on solar irradiance and human health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As cities around the world strive to become smart, renewable solar and wind power can play a crucial role in helping them provide reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible energy and hence, reducing climate change and air pollution. A smart renewable city is characterized by efficient and sustainable planning and management of its renewable energy resources for economic growth and overall citizens’ quality of life. New technological options such as photovoltaics (PV), wind turbines, passive buildings, bio-methane injection into grids, small-scale combined heat and power with storage and PV-driven heat pumps alter common strategies to supply larger settlements. Especially, rooftop PV systems are able to directly produce electricity and add value to urban roofs, reducing also the heat island effect.

This Special Issue will highlight modern remote sensing and modeling approaches that are able to assess urban renewable solutions adaptability, in terms of optimum and viable ways for shifting from current cities to smart renewable cities. Therefore, there is a need for remote sensing tools for urban energy decision-makers, distribution and smart grid system operators, solar and wind energy use and trading. These tools and supporting solutions are meant to provide urban-scale remote sensing and modeling renewable energy management and planning in terms of continuous monitoring and forecasting the spatiotemporal variability of energy production and consumption. We invite you to submit articles on the following topics:

Roof-top PV installations
Complex shadowing effects
Energy management systems
Energy planning and mapping
Smart grids in renewable cities
Building and urban aerodynamics
Atmospheric and meteorological effects
Penetration of renewables in urban scale
Remote sensing energy data and solutions

Dr. Panagiotis Kosmopoulos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Smart grids
Aerodynamics
Solar radiation
Renewable energy
Urban environment
Electricity production
Roof-top photovoltaic

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

19 pages, 13143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rooftop Photovoltaic Energy Production Estimations in India Using Remotely Sensed Data and Methods

by Anil Kumar, Panagiotis Kosmopoulos, Yashwant Kashyap and Rupam Gautam

Remote Sens. 2023, 15(12), 3051; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15123051 - 10 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1742

Abstract

We investigate the possibility of estimating global horizontal irradiance (GHI) in parallel to photovoltaic (PV) power production in India using a radiative transfer model (RTM) called libRadtran fed with satellite information on the cloud and aerosol conditions. For the assessment of PV energy production, we exploited one year’s (January–December 2018) ground-based real-time measurements of solar irradiation GHI via silicon irradiance sensors (Si sensor), along with cloud optical thickness (COT). The data used in this method was taken from two different sources, which are EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) from Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Services (CAMS). The COT and AOD are used as the main input parameters to the RTM along with other ones (such as solar zenith angle, Ångström exponent, single scattering albedo, etc.) in order to simulate the GHI under all sky, clear (no clouds), and clear-clean (no clouds and no aerosols) conditions. This enabled us to quantify the cloud modification factor (CMF) and aerosol modification factor (AMF), respectively. Subsequently, the whole simulation is compared with the actual recorded data at four solar power plants, i.e., Kazaria Thanagazi, Kazaria Ceramics, Chopanki, and Bhiwadi in the Alwar district of Rajasthan state, India. The maximum monthly average attenuation due to the clouds and aerosols are 24.4% and 11.3%, respectively. The energy and economic impact of clouds and aerosols are presented in terms of energy loss (EL) and financial loss (FL). We found that the maximum EL in the year 2018 due to clouds and aerosols were 458 kWh m⁻² and 230 kWh m⁻², respectively, observed at Thanagazi location. The results of this study highlight the capabilities of Earth observations (EO), in terms not only of accuracy but also resolution, in precise quantification of atmospheric effect parameters. Simulations of PV energy production using EO data and techniques are therefore useful for real-time estimates of PV energy outputs and can improve energy management and production inspection. Success in such important venture, energy management, and production inspections will become much easier and more effective. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 5778 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Developing a near Real-Time Cloud Cover Retrieval Algorithm Using Geostationary Satellite Observations for Photovoltaic Plants

by Pan Xia, Min Min, Yu Yu, Yun Wang and Lu Zhang

Remote Sens. 2023, 15(4), 1141; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15041141 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1738

Abstract

Clouds can block solar radiation from reaching the surface, so timely and effective cloud cover test and forecasting is critical to the operation and economic efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) plants. Traditional cloud cover algorithms based on meteorological satellite observation require many auxiliary data and computing resources, which are hard to implement or transplant for applications at PV plants. In this study, a portable and fast cloud mask algorithm (FCMA) is developed to provide near real-time (NRT) spatial-temporally matched cloud cover products for PV plants. The geostationary satellite imager data from the Advanced Himawari Imager aboard Himawari-8 and the related operational cloud mask algorithm (OCMA) are employed as benchmarks for comparison and validation. Furthermore, the ground-based manually observed cloud cover data at seven quintessential stations at 08:00 and 14:00 BJT (Beijing Time) in 2017 are employed to verify the accuracy of cloud cover data derived from FCMA and OCMA. The results show a high consistency with the ground-based data, and the average correlation coefficient (R) is close to 0.85. Remarkably, the detection accuracy of FCMA is slightly higher than that of OCMA, demonstrating the feasibility of FCMA for providing NRT cloud cover at PV plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

33 pages, 3480 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analyzing Spatial Variations of Cloud Attenuation by a Network of All-Sky Imagers

by Niklas Benedikt Blum, Stefan Wilbert, Bijan Nouri, Jonas Stührenberg, Jorge Enrique Lezaca Galeano, Thomas Schmidt, Detlev Heinemann, Thomas Vogt, Andreas Kazantzidis and Robert Pitz-Paal

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(22), 5685; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14225685 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2592

Abstract

All-sky imagers (ASIs) can be used to model clouds and detect spatial variations of cloud attenuation. Such cloud modeling can support ASI-based nowcasting, upscaling of photovoltaic production and numeric weather predictions. A novel procedure is developed which uses a network of ASIs to model clouds and determine cloud attenuation more accurately over every location in the observed area, at a resolution of 50 m × 50 m. The approach combines images from neighboring ASIs which monitor the cloud scene from different perspectives. Areas covered by optically thick/intermediate/thin clouds are detected in the images of twelve ASIs and are transformed into maps of attenuation index. In areas monitored by multiple ASIs, an accuracy-weighted average combines the maps of attenuation index. An ASI observation’s local weight is calculated from its expected accuracy. Based on radiometer measurements, a probabilistic procedure derives a map of cloud attenuation from the combined map of attenuation index. Using two additional radiometers located 3.8 km west and south of the first radiometer, the ASI network’s estimations of direct normal (DNI) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI) are validated and benchmarked against estimations from an ASI pair and homogeneous persistence which uses a radiometer alone. The validation works without forecasted data, this way excluding sources of error which would be present in forecasting. The ASI network reduces errors notably (RMSD for DNI 136 W/m

^{2}

, GHI 98 W/m

^{2}

) compared to the ASI pair (RMSD for DNI 173 W/m

^{2}

, GHI 119 W/m

^{2}

and radiometer alone (RMSD for DNI 213 W/m

^{2}

), GHI 140 W/m

^{2}

). A notable reduction is found in all studied conditions, classified by irradiance variability. Thus, the ASI network detects spatial variations of cloud attenuation considerably more accurately than the state-of-the-art approaches in all atmospheric conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

24 pages, 10191 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Criteria Assessment for City-Wide Rooftop Solar PV Deployment: A Case Study of Bandung, Indonesia

by Anjar Dimara Sakti, Kalingga Titon Nur Ihsan, Tania Septi Anggraini, Zahratu Shabrina, Nugroho Adi Sasongko, Reza Fachrizal, Muhammad Aziz, Jagannath Aryal, Brian Yuliarto, Pradita Octoviandiningrum Hadi and Ketut Wikantika

Remote Sens. 2022, 14(12), 2796; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14122796 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4041

Abstract

The world faces the threat of an energy crisis that is exacerbated by the dominance of fossil energy sources that negatively impact the sustainability of the earth’s ecosystem. Currently, efforts to increase the supply of renewable energy have become a global agenda, including using solar energy which is one of the rapidly developing clean energies. However, studies in solar photovoltaic (PV) modelling that integrates geospatial information of urban morphological building characters, solar radiation, and multiple meteorological parameters in low-cost scope have not been explored fully. Therefore, this research aims to model the urban rooftop solar PV development in the Global South using Bandung, Indonesia, as a case study. This research also has several specific purposes: developing a building height model as well as determining the energy potential of rooftop solar PV, the energy needs of each building, and the residential property index. This study is among the first to develop the national digital surface model (DSM) of buildings. In addition, the analysis of meteorological effects integrated with the hillshade parameter was used to obtain the solar PV potential value of the roof in more detail. The process of integrating building parameters in the form of rooftop solar PV development potential, energy requirements, and residential property index of a building was expected to increase the accuracy of determining priority buildings for rooftop solar PV deployment in Bandung. This study shows that the estimated results of effective solar PV in Bandung ranges from 351.833 to 493.813 W/m², with a total of 1316 and 36,372 buildings in scenarios 1 and 2 being at a high level of priority for solar PV development. This study is expected to be a reference for the Indonesian government in planning the construction of large-scale rooftop solar PV in urban areas to encourage the rapid use of clean energy. Furthermore, this study has general potential for other jurisdictions for the governments focusing on clean energy using geospatial information in relation with buildings and their energy consumption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

19 pages, 9583 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Aerosol and Cloud on the Solar Energy Potential over the Central Gangetic Himalayan Region

by Umesh Chandra Dumka, Panagiotis G. Kosmopoulos, Shantikumar S. Ningombam and Akriti Masoom

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(16), 3248; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163248 - 17 Aug 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4178

Abstract

We examine the impact of atmospheric aerosols and clouds on the surface solar radiation and solar energy at Nainital, a high-altitude remote location in the central Gangetic Himalayan region (CGHR). For this purpose, we exploited the synergy of remote-sensed data in terms of ground-based AERONET Sun Photometer and satellite observations from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), with radiative transfer model (RTM) simulations and 1 day forecasts from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). Clouds and aerosols are one of the most common sources of solar irradiance attenuation and hence causing performance issues in the photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar power (CSP) plant installations. The outputs of RTM results presented with high accuracy under clear, cloudy sky and dust conditions for global horizontal (GHI) and beam horizontal irradiance (BHI). On an annual basis the total aerosol attenuation was found to be up to 105 kWh m⁻² for the GHI and 266 kWh m⁻² for BHI, respectively, while the cloud effect is much stronger with an attenuation of 245 and 271 kWh m⁻² on GHI and BHI. The results of this study will support the Indian solar energy producers and electricity handling entities in order to quantify the energy and financial losses due to cloud and aerosol presence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 5479 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Hybrid Spatio-Temporal Forecasting of Multisite Solar Photovoltaic Generation

by Bowoo Kim, Dongjun Suh, Marc-Oliver Otto and Jeung-Soo Huh

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(13), 2605; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132605 - 2 Jul 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2750

Abstract

Currently, the world is actively responding to climate change problems. There is significant research interest in renewable energy generation, with focused attention on solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. Therefore, this study developed an accurate and precise solar PV generation prediction model for several solar PV power plants in various regions of South Korea to establish stable supply-and-demand power grid systems. To reflect the spatial and temporal characteristics of solar PV generation, data extracted from satellite images and numerical text data were combined and used. Experiments were conducted on solar PV power plants in Incheon, Busan, and Yeongam, and various machine learning algorithms were applied, including the SARIMAX, which is a traditional statistical time-series analysis method. Furthermore, for developing a precise solar PV generation prediction model, the SARIMAX-LSTM model was applied using a stacking ensemble technique that created one prediction model by combining the advantages of several prediction models. Consequently, an advanced multisite hybrid spatio-temporal solar PV generation prediction model with superior performance was proposed using information that could not be learned in the existing single-site solar PV generation prediction model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

27 pages, 29489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rooftop Photovoltaic Energy Production Management in India Using Earth-Observation Data and Modeling Techniques

by Akriti Masoom, Panagiotis Kosmopoulos, Yashwant Kashyap, Shashi Kumar and Ankit Bansal

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(12), 1921; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12121921 - 14 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4338

Abstract

This study estimates the photovoltaic (PV) energy production from the rooftop solar plant of the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) and the impact of clouds and aerosols on the PV energy production based on earth observation (EO)-related techniques and solar resource modeling. The post-processed satellite remote sensing observations from the INSAT-3D have been used in combination with Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) 1-day forecasts to perform the Indian Solar Irradiance Operational System (INSIOS) simulations. NITK experiences cloudy conditions for a major part of the year that attenuates the solar irradiance available for PV energy production and the aerosols cause performance issues in the PV installations and maintenance. The proposed methodology employs cloud optical thickness (COT) and aerosol optical depth (AOD) to perform the INSIOS simulations and quantify the impact of clouds and aerosols on solar energy potential, quarter-hourly monitoring, forecasting energy production and financial analysis. The irradiance forecast accuracy was evaluated for 15 min, monthly, and seasonal time horizons, and the correlation was found to be 0.82 with most of the percentage difference within 25% for clear-sky conditions. For cloudy conditions, 27% of cases were found to be within ±50% difference of the percentage difference between the INSIOS and silicon irradiance sensor (SIS) irradiance and it was 60% for clear-sky conditions. The proposed methodology is operationally ready and is able to support the rooftop PV energy production management by providing solar irradiance simulations and realistic energy production estimations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Remote Sensing for Smart Renewable Cities

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (7 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI