Solar potential in Helsinki
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School of Business |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2021
Department
Major/Subject
Mcode
Degree programme
Information and Service Management (ISM)
Language
en
Pages
51 + 2
Series
Abstract
Solar photovoltaics (PV) has seen increased global adoption and decreased costs in the latest decades. The increased adoption of solar power and other renewable energy sources has been associated with the stringent goals regarding the cutting of carbon emissions set forth by different countries and international organizations. The city of Helsinki as well has its own climate strategy, aiming to become carbon-neutral by 2035. Alongside other sources of renewable energy, solar power has become a viable alternative to the more pollution-intensive sources cost-wise in many regions of the world. Still, solar power generation has some inherent challenges. Most importantly, due to the variance of solar irradiation, solar PV based power generation is variable over the time of day and year. Thus, any electricity grids incorporating solar panels must include power grid balancing measures. Moreover, the location of such systems is paramount when investments are considered, as the electricity potential varies across different geographies. Spatial decision making, such as choosing the location of solar systems, often involves conflicting criteria and a multitude of potential alternatives. While methods and objectives vary, geographic information systems (GIS) are often used to support spatial decision making. As the locations of solar power installations are paramount to their efficiency, spatial decision making combined with GIS has often been used in the literature concerning solar systems. The aim of this study is to assess the potential of large-scale utilization of solar panels on the roofs of Helsinki, Finland. First, a literature review is conducted on the topics of solar power and spatial optimization. Secondly, a linear programming model is constructed with a goal of finding optimal combinations of roofs for various electricity generation target levels, while simultaneously minimizing the area taken. A dataset describing the roofs in Helsinki and their yearly total solar irradiation is used to test and validate the model. Finally, the costs associated with the optimal allocations are analyzed and discussed. While truly accurate forecast of costs can’t be produced, the analysis may be used by policy makers for an initial assessment of the different methods to achieve the climate strategies of the city of Helsinki.Description
Thesis advisor
Liesiö, JuusoKeywords
solar power, GIS, spatial optimization, linear programming