The potential of rooftop PV for prosumer energy provision globally

The potential of rooftop PV for prosumer energy provision globally | Research Square Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Analysis The potential of rooftop PV for prosumer energy provision globally Zhixin Zhang, Gunnar Luderer, Jakob Napiontek, Alona Zharova, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8971552/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Rooftop photovoltaics (PV) are widely promoted for urban decarbonization, yet their capacity to meet local electricity demand across diverse urban systems remains insufficiently quantified. Here we integrate high spatiotemporal resolution datasets of rooftop PV potential and electricity demand with a global city topology framework to assess urban solar self-sufficiency worldwide. Under the Net Zero 2050 scenario, rooftop PV could supply 45% of urban electricity demand. Although solar generation is inherently seasonal, a substantial share of demand remains aligned with supply. Across more than 8,000 urban centres analysed, 28% of total electricity consumption occurs in cities combining high annual self-sufficiency with low seasonal mismatch, around 70% of which is located in emerging or rapidly growing cities. These findings suggest that targeted energy planning could leverage local generation to enhance municipal energy resilience and reduce grid expansion needs, supporting broader assessments of sustainable urban energy transitions. Scientific community and society/Energy and society/Energy supply and demand Earth and environmental sciences/Climate sciences/Climate change/Climate-change mitigation Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files RPVsupplementary.docx Supplementary information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information

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