Exclusive: What is ISRO’s ‘Solar Power Calculator’ that is to be offered to the world?

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The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has demonstrated the method of identifying the best-suited locations for installing upcoming Solar Power generation farms, across the globe. India’s State-run space agency has done so using data obtained from its own Earth Observation satellites that are continuously monitoring the planet, from Geostationary orbit( 36,000kms above the earth’s equator). Zee Media spoke to Dr K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO for more on this project.

Earlier this week, addressing his counterparts at the COP26 Global Climate Summit at Glasgow, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that ISRO would offer the world a ‘Solar Power Calculator. He said that it would help hep decide the location of solar energy projects across the globe. He added that it would strengthen the One Sun One World One Grid initiative.

When requested to elaborate on the project, Dr K. Sivan said, it was a technology demonstration proposal that was made using data from Earth Observation satellites. “It is about using satellite data and identifying potential areas where maximum solar energy is available per year, across the globe. We will be collecting this data, analysing, mapping it and sharing it online and via a mobile application. Mapping this data and sharing it would help countries decide their upcoming solar power projects” he told Zee Media/WION. To a query of if ISRO was also developing some hardware for this purpose, he replied that ISRO was only using data, mapping and analysing it and not working on any hardware aspect, for this project.

According to ISRO’s description of the Solar calculator Mobile application, computation of solar energy potential is essential to select the locations for solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. “An android App for the computation of solar energy potential has been developed by Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad at the behest of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of India. It is a very useful tool for installation of PV solar panels for tapping solar energy” it reads.

ISRO’s website says the mobile app allows users to obtain the ‘solar energy potential’ data in (kWh/m2) when the location is keyed or is designated according to GPS. It gives monthly and yearly solar potential processed using Indian Geostationary Satellite data (Kalpana-1, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR). It also offers monthly minimum and maximum temperatures to calculate the realistic solar potential. 

Additionally, the app also offers monthly/yearly solar potential (in kWh/m2) and minimum/maximum temperature at any location. It also displays the location on the satellite image and provides azimuth/elevation angles as well as day length over different time periods in a year. ISRO adds, Wind, solar and wave energy resources can be assessed with the help of Earth Observation data, sourced from satellites that are in the geostationary orbit (roughly 36,000kms) above the earth’s equator. 

Asked about when this particular ‘Solar calculator’ would be made fully available across the globe, Dr Sivan said that the technology behind it had been demonstrated and that further work was required. Regarding the much-anticipated rocket launch schedule of ISRO in November and December 2021and the possible launch of India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV rocket), he said, it was being worked out. 

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