Estimation of bright roof areas for large scale solar PV applications to meet the power demand of megacity Hyderabad

Abstract

Hyderabad is reeling under a severe power crisis aggravated due to the recent bifurcation of the state of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana state needs more power than residual Andhra Pradesh due to greater demand from its Industrial and Agricultural consumers. The installed capacity (established as well as under construction) of power plants under Telangana Power Generation Corporation (TSGENCO) includes 2282.5 MW of thermal coal based power, 2081.76 MW of hydro power and 1 MW solar power. As more than 50% of the power source is coal based, there exists a threat of fossil fuel depletion and enhanced Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Solar electricity has the potential to offset these negative impacts. This paper concentrates on evaluating the roof top area required for solar power generation using Remote Sensing and GIS apart from developing an algorithm using analytical methods, to estimate the photo-voltaic system components required, for the total power requirement of Hyderabad city.