Research on Photovoltaic Development in Northwestern China using Remote Sensing Images

Abstract. Photovoltaics, a clean energy source, have received widespread attention worldwide recently. Many countries are carrying out photovoltaic construction, while also compiling and analyzing their photovoltaic development status. The same goes for China. In northwestern China, a considerable number of cities lack electricity. Meanwhile, its vast plains and abundant sunlight are conducive to the construction of photovoltaics. Therefore, the northwestern China has vigorously carried out photovoltaic construction nowadays. With the support of high-resolution and multi-temporal remote sensing images, we are able to analyze the development status of photovoltaics in these regions. We chose six provinces in northwestern China as our research areas and took three steps to complete our studies. Firstly, we extracted patterns of photovoltaics using deep learning methods. Secondly, based on the patterns and national land use survey data, we calculated the distribution and development status of photovoltaics in each province. Thirdly, we present the statistical results in figures and charts, showing the photovoltaic construction status and its development trend. We finally made conclusions and discussions about our insufficiency in work and future plans for further study.