This initiative’s goal is to use Philippine satellite data in conjunction with other relevant datasets to identify sites that are most suitable for solar panel installation through machine learning and coverage analysis.
Our Web App has 4 modes that emphasize different information. Dark mode highlights the Suggested Areas/Settlements best suited for solar panel installation. Light mode shows the same information but tailored for those with color blindness. Street mode displays the main highways for transport while Satellite provides the actual overview of the suggested areas/ settlements.
Below the Map Mode Menu, you can see the municipalities ranked by their need for solar energy. These are also highlighted in the map by Dots (see 'Marker Labels' legend). You may search for a municipality using the Search bar. We've also marked (in Diamond) the different power plants & energy sources (from the Department of Energy 2020 data) to provide context.
Mirroring the DHS data, we layered Laguerre-Voronoi (LV) cells in a color scale representing Energy Access (see 'Energy Access' legend). The color is an estimate of energy access based on median luminosity level (nighttime data), population, number of settlements, and the sum of installed capacity of power plants/energy sources per LV cell (note that this estimate doesn't necessarily translate to our suggested areas).
Our suggested places and settlements are marked in Green Dots for Area and Blue Dots for more granular Settlements data. Clicking on the Green Dot, more information about the area will be shown in the sidebar. These settlements are identified by a calculated site suitability score according to multiple datapoints for that area (i.e. low night light, access to electricity, and installed electric capacity). You can learn more about the methodology here.
Likewise, there is also a list of Areas/Municipalities below the Map Mode option. When you click on the Area, like 'Tapaz, Capiz', you'll be directed to its location, with the municipality's information at the sidebar.
As you explore more municipalities in the Philippines that would greatly benefit from solar energy, we matched the demand data with an estimated output of solar energy that will be produced for that area.
We started with the population and settlements data from 2017 DHS data and the settlements estimate from the our geospatial analysis.