GIS-based Analysis of a Solar Panel Implementation Project in the North York Region

Renewable technologies such as solar panels are clean energy alternatives that have much lower negative environmental impacts than conventional energy technologies. They contribute to mitigate the issue of global warming/climate change (“Why is renewable,” 2015) and can help in the transition of our current conventional energy infrastructures into clean energy production systems. It is not only important to consider and analyze the solar potential (“The energy report,” n.d.) that an area can generate, but also to understand the cost and benefits this solar energy can produce. The scenario of the North York region shows a trend of economic growth and increasing electrical demand (“York Region Solar,” n.d.) which makes it a suitable candidate for the study area for this report. Due to the increasing electrical demands in the North York region, there would be an increase in greenhouse gas emissions and further problems of shortage of electrical power supply and management during the winter storms and other weather events. Therefore, this report conducts a GIS-based analysis of the highest buildings in the proposed study area to calculate the solar potential that can be generated. This analysis through the GIS software allows for determination of the potential of urban solar energy implementation in the North York region and possibly in the entire city of Toronto.