June 2, 2015 – Using remote sensing data, researchers can efficiently determine optimum sites for solar power plants, according to a study led by Olufemi Omitaomu of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. With the target of solar energy providing up to 35 percent of the nation’s total energy requirements by 2050, the need for strategic siting of solar plants is vital, Omitaomu said. He and colleagues in ORNL’s Critical Infrastructure and Climate Change Group used a digital elevation model with 90-meter resolution to estimate global solar radiation. They added a computational model with overlays built on a geographic information system platform to divide the study area into a grid of cells to determine suitability for each cell. Their models also took into account population density, solar energy potential, federal lands and hazardous facilities.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
