Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities

Rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) systems have the potential to significantly boost residential electricity self-sufficiency in urban areas. However, estimating the self-sufficiency potential of each city is challenging due to the trade-off between target accuracy and data availability, which limits the s...

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Main Authors: Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao, Chuyue Yan, Seiichi Ogata
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Urban Science
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/1/2
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author Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao
Chuyue Yan
Seiichi Ogata
author_facet Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao
Chuyue Yan
Seiichi Ogata
author_sort Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao
collection DOAJ
description Rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) systems have the potential to significantly boost residential electricity self-sufficiency in urban areas. However, estimating the self-sufficiency potential of each city is challenging due to the trade-off between target accuracy and data availability, which limits the scalability of existing methods. This study aims to evaluate the potential of RTPV systems to enhance residential electricity self-sufficiency in major Japanese cities. The self-sufficiency analysis employs a balanced approach using statistical data to estimate RTPV and battery storage capacity in detached houses and hourly simulations to capture supply–demand variations. To project the penetration rate, a logistic curve is utilized to estimate the timeline for achieving a 100% installation rate in detached houses. The analysis reveals that RTPV systems could supply approximately 40% of the residential electricity demand in major cities, with some achieving self-sufficiency rates exceeding 65%. Densely populated cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kawasaki may only meet a quarter of their demand due to higher energy requirements. Including older detached houses in RTPV deployment boosted self-sufficiency by an average of 11.77%, with cities like Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kitakyushu achieving increases of 15–20%. Battery storage plays a critical role in enhancing self-sufficiency and reducing energy curtailment. Logistic curve projections suggest that most cities are unlikely to reach 100% RTPV penetration before 2050, though leading cities could achieve 75% penetration by then due to favorable growth rates. These findings reveal that while RTPV has substantial potential to improve residential electricity self-sufficiency, additional efforts are necessary to accelerate adoption. Further research is needed to refine capacity estimates, explore the socioeconomic and political context of the cities, and examine alternative pathways for cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kawasaki.
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spelling doaj-art-c21dccf29df04c5bb94134ba478ca29a2025-01-24T13:51:33ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512024-12-0191210.3390/urbansci9010002Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese CitiesSamuel Matthew G. Dumlao0Chuyue Yan1Seiichi Ogata2Department of Socio-Environmental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JapanDepartment of Socio-Environmental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JapanDepartment of Socio-Environmental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Yoshidahonmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JapanRooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) systems have the potential to significantly boost residential electricity self-sufficiency in urban areas. However, estimating the self-sufficiency potential of each city is challenging due to the trade-off between target accuracy and data availability, which limits the scalability of existing methods. This study aims to evaluate the potential of RTPV systems to enhance residential electricity self-sufficiency in major Japanese cities. The self-sufficiency analysis employs a balanced approach using statistical data to estimate RTPV and battery storage capacity in detached houses and hourly simulations to capture supply–demand variations. To project the penetration rate, a logistic curve is utilized to estimate the timeline for achieving a 100% installation rate in detached houses. The analysis reveals that RTPV systems could supply approximately 40% of the residential electricity demand in major cities, with some achieving self-sufficiency rates exceeding 65%. Densely populated cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kawasaki may only meet a quarter of their demand due to higher energy requirements. Including older detached houses in RTPV deployment boosted self-sufficiency by an average of 11.77%, with cities like Nagoya, Kyoto, and Kitakyushu achieving increases of 15–20%. Battery storage plays a critical role in enhancing self-sufficiency and reducing energy curtailment. Logistic curve projections suggest that most cities are unlikely to reach 100% RTPV penetration before 2050, though leading cities could achieve 75% penetration by then due to favorable growth rates. These findings reveal that while RTPV has substantial potential to improve residential electricity self-sufficiency, additional efforts are necessary to accelerate adoption. Further research is needed to refine capacity estimates, explore the socioeconomic and political context of the cities, and examine alternative pathways for cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kawasaki.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/1/2rooftop solar PVsolar PV growthenergy self-sufficiencyurban cities
spellingShingle Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao
Chuyue Yan
Seiichi Ogata
Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
Urban Science
rooftop solar PV
solar PV growth
energy self-sufficiency
urban cities
title Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
title_full Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
title_fullStr Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
title_full_unstemmed Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
title_short Rooftop Photovoltaic for Residential Electricity Self-Sufficiency: Assessing Potential Benefits in Major Japanese Cities
title_sort rooftop photovoltaic for residential electricity self sufficiency assessing potential benefits in major japanese cities
topic rooftop solar PV
solar PV growth
energy self-sufficiency
urban cities
url https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/1/2
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AT seiichiogata rooftopphotovoltaicforresidentialelectricityselfsufficiencyassessingpotentialbenefitsinmajorjapanesecities