Remote sensing of photovoltaic scenarios: Techniques, applications and future directions

Developing solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is an effective way to address the problems of limited fossil fuel reserves, soaring world energy demand and global climate change. The earth observation information provides a promising perspective for estimating the PV energy potential and understanding the status of the PV system development, which is critical for making scientifically sound and cost-optimal sustainable planning strategies. Remote sensing (RS), a versatile technology that captures surface information at various temporal and spatial scales, is now widely applied in different fields of the PV development. However, despite the rapid growth of related research, there is still a lack of comprehensive review on the application of RS to different stages (i.e., planning, site selection, installation, maintenance, etc.) of the PV system development. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of RS technology applied throughout various stages of the PV system development. The reviewed literatures are organized as four major parts: i) PV potential estimation, ii) PV array detection, iii) PV fault monitoring and diagnosis, and iv) other cross-cutting areas where RS can facilitate PV development. We conclude that RS technology can bridge the gap caused by the traditional methods in effective assessment of resource potential, large-scale data analysis and PV health monitoring, which can provide strong support in assisting the planning, management, and decision-making of PV systems. Finally, we discuss future challenges and opportunities for RS technology in PV applications for advancing the research in this area.