Solar Energy Potential in Ayodhya’s Heritage Urban Areas: A Conceptual Study

Heritage cities face a big challenge: they need solar energy, but they also need to ensure that they retain the look and feel that make them special. Most studies on solar energy have only concentrated on the technical aspects, ignoring the cultural and social factors that are also very important in heritage cities. This study, however, has come up with a Tri-Layered Assessment Model (TLAM) that will help assess solar energy potential in heritage cities, with a case study of the heritage city of Ayodhya in the state of Uttar Pradesh.How does this work? Well, the TLAM will assess factors such as urban planning, technical solar potential, heritage sensitivity, and social acceptability, among others. This is done through a combination of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). The data is also based on studies done by NASA POWER, PVGIS, Uttar Pradesh’s Solar Energy Policy 2022, records of the Ram Mandir’s architectural design, and tourism data.The data is very promising. The city of Ayodhya receives a solar irradiance of 5.3 to 5.5 kWh/m²/day, which translates to an average of 1,650 to 1,750 kWh/kWp every year from solar panels. This is very good news, since 35% to 40% of the district is highly suitable for solar panel installation.However, heritage cities are not all the same, and this is where the TLAM comes in. It has divided the city of Ayodhya into three zones, namely the Sacred Core (Zone A), the Transition Zone (Zone B), and the Modern Expansion (Zone C). Each of these zones will need a different strategy, ranging from integrating solar energy with the existing design to installing solar panels in the less sensitive zones.TLAM is a guideline for policymakers and planners, which will help them ensure that they increase solar energy potential without losing the heritage character of the city. This is a very good example of how heritage cities can increase solar energy without losing their heritage character.