A harmonized dataset of ground-mounted solar energy in the US with enhanced metadata

Solar energy generating systems are critical components of our expanding energy infrastructure, yet available datasets remain incomplete or not publicly available–particularly at the sub-array level. Combining the best open access datasets in the US with image analysis on freely available remotely-sensed imagery, we present the Ground-Mounted Solar Energy in the United States (GM-SEUS) dataset, a harmonized, open access geospatial and temporal repository of solar energy arrays and panel-rows. GM-SEUS v1.0 includes over 15,000 commercial- and utility-scale ground-mounted solar photovoltaic and concentrating solar energy arrays (186 GWDC) covering 2,950 km2 and includes 2.92 million unique solar panel-rows (466 km2). We use these newly compiled and delineated solar arrays and panel-rows to harmonize and independently estimate value-added attributes to existing datasets including installation year, azimuth, mount technology, panel-row area and dimensions, inter-row spacing, ground cover ratio, tilt, and installed capacity. By harmonizing and estimating attributes of the distributed US solar energy landscape, GM-SEUS supports diverse applications in renewable energy modeling, ecosystem service assessment, and infrastructure planning.