Design and Development of Photovoltaic Planning Installation using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Image in Politeknik Kuching Sarawak

Abstract

Solar energy is a renewable resource, meaning it is abundant and sustainable over the long term. Solar photovoltaic (PV) is one of the solar energy technologies. These systems use sunlight to generate electricity.  However, finding the best place to install solar panels is difficult, especially on the rooftop. Traditional methods like manual surveys are slow, costly, and sometimes unsafe. At Politeknik Kuching Sarawak, these challenges make it hard to plan and set up solar panel systems efficiently. There is a clear need for a faster, safer, and more accurate way to check which rooftops are suitable for solar panel installation. Therefore, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based approach for solar PV installation planning at Politeknik Kuching Sarawak was proposed in this research. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, offer a safe and efficient method for capturing high-resolution aerial images of the institution. These images will be processed using photogrammetry software. Utilising UAV technology for solar PV installation planning offers several advantages compared to traditional methods. UAVs provide a cost-efficient alternative to manual roof surveys, reducing labour costs and the time required for data collection. Data acquisition through UAVs is significantly faster than traditional methods, accelerating the planning process for solar PV installations. The results indicated that the proposed method could accurately identify the potential locations for installing solar photovoltaic panels on the rooftops of Politeknik Kuching Sarawak. High recognition accuracy is achieved through visual interpretation of UAV photos.