The primary objectives of the PV4ALL project are to:

• Estimate space on rooftops in square meters available intelligently without site visit, in areas and infrastructures all around the Republic of Cyprus.
• Estimate annual irradiance on each identified rooftop space, considering shadows from nearby obstacles.
• Estimate potential yield from a possible photovoltaic installation, based on space available for installing photovoltaics and the estimated annual irradiance.
• Provide easy to use online tools including visualization solutions ready made for prospective users as a service, estimating costs and financial benefits from their installations, offering alternative photovoltaic technologies to choose to find the most optimal solution for the selected site.

Follow the step-by-step process described below to access the PV4ALL tool and make use of its services.

Step 1: Connect to GAEA

Visit the GAEA portal, an interactive online tool offering geo-analytical services, providing comprehensive and reliable information on the real estate market in Cyprus.

Step 2: Register and sign

For first-time users, click the Sign up button at the home screen to create a new account, and follow the prompts to register. After creating an account, click the Sign in button at the right of the figure.

If you already have an account on GAEA, simply click Sign in on the home screen and log in with your email and password.

Step 3: Select the PV4All tool

After logging in successfully, you will enter the main screen of GAEA. At the left side of your screen, you will see the sidebar menu of the portal. Click on LAND COVER MONITORING and then enable the PV4ALL tool from the list of available services, as in the picture below.

As soon as you enable the PV4ALL tool, a description of the tool appears in a popup window that opens at the right side of the screen, as shown below.

Step 4: Choose location/property

Select your location or property around Cyprus. To do so, you can either:

1. Manually pick the location on the interactive map, by selecting it under the AREA ANALYSIS TOOL.
2. Enter the latitude/longitude of the property.
3. Add the Land Registry details of your property/block, (block/sheet/parcel id or registration number).

These options are listed at the snapshot as shown below, which appears after you click Search (note: see the Search button at the screenshot above):

After you search for your property, the map will zoom at the precise location you have indicated and a pointer will appear at the center of it. At the same time, specific information about your property will appear at the left side of the screen. This includes estimated solar irradiance, building area and estimated numbers without sun through the year. The total building area is estimated using the PERIOPSIS AI model for detecting buildings’ area from satellite images.

Step 5: Adjust rooftop area and yearly consumption

In case your rooftop area is less than the building’s area, or you want to limit the area for a PV installation, you can use the slider provided to you. This will adjust the rooftop area to indicate the percentage available for PV installation. The percentage is automatically translated to square meters, to make sure that the area you choose aligns as precisely as possible with the pragmatic conditions at your rooftop.

After adjusting the rooftop area, enter your yearly energy consumption in kilowatt-hours. This allows us to better calculate expected needs in PV and returns of investment (ROI).

Step 6: View available PV schemes and options

After selecting the property’s characteristics and the user’s energy consumption, the user is asked to select a manufacturer of PV technology, from a list of available providers. The list is shown at the figure below.

 Step 7: View investment and saving options

Explore the available schemes and options that appear based on your preferences for PV providers, total costs, ROI, annual energy yield, specific PV technology and estimated CO2 savings. Select the option that better suits your budget and financial plan.

Scroll further down for additional info on future savings in the hypothetical scenario of selecting the PV scheme as chosen above. These calculations include energy exported to the grid, costs with net metering, and comparisons without PV system integration.