Inherited Urbanism and Energy Transition: An Approach Based on Artificial Intelligence and GIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22399/ijcesen.4346Keywords:
Urban planning, Colonial legacy, Energy transition, Photovoltaic potentialAbstract
This study aims to analyze the impact of urban planning in cities marked by an unequal distribution of neighbourhoods — particularly those that were colonized by foreign powers, such as the city of Sidi Bel Abbès in Algeria — on the current energy transition. The study area includes 277 rooftops suitable for solar panel installation and located near electricity distribution substations. The results revealed a disparity in annual individual photovoltaic energy production between neighborhoods once inhabited by colonizers and those designated for the indigenous population, a contrast still evident today due to the preservation of the same urban structure. Deep learning techniques (U-Net and Attention U-Net) were used to detect rooftops, yielding good results despite limited data availability. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) were also employed to assess the solar potential and analyze the proximity of rooftops to the distribution substations.
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