PARAMETRIC STUDY OF URBAN MORPHOLOGY ON BUILDINGS SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL: A CASE STUDY OF MODEL TOWN LAHORE, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Solar energy is a sustainable and widely available energy resource among renewable energy resources for tackling the long-term issues of the energy crisis. The World Energy Council, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the UN Development Programme all estimate that solar energy has a potential of 1,600 to 49,800 exajoules (4.41014 to 1.41016 kWh) annually on a worldwide scale. Although solar PV global electricity generation is only 3.1 per cent. According to media reports, 63 percent population of Pakistan that is approximately 140 million either have no access to the electrical grid or are facing daily load shedding for more than 12 hours. Our region is considered for solar insolation due to its unique geographical location and climate characteristics. Almost all of the country experiences high levels of solar radiation for eight to ten hours every day, thanks to the more than 300 sunny days it receives each year. Hence, this study aims to assess the solar energy potential of Model Town, Lahore, serving as a reference point for all residential areas in Pakistan that constitute 47 per cent of the nation's electricity usage, as stated earlier in research studies. One of the main residential regions of Lahore is Model Town. For the study purpose, a cadastral map is collected from the Estate Man Properties International and a Surface digital model from ALOS is obtained. Solar potential is computed by performing the Area Solar Radiation analysis with the help of selected urban parameters layers such as aspect and slope, integrated through GIS. The results show that the maximum amount of solar radiation is 4459.15 kWh/m2. The minimum solar radiation, the model town is receiving is 7.65 kWh/m2 for the current year.