Estimating energy consumption from night-time DMPS/OLS imagery after correcting for saturation effects

A methodology is presented to accurately estimate electric power consumption from saturated night-time Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS) imagery using a stable light correction. An area correction for the stable light image of DMSP/OLS for the year 1999 was performed and the build-up area rate data were used to clarify the intensity distribution characteristics of the stable light. Based on the spatial distribution characteristics of the stable light, the saturation light of the electric power supply area of Japan was corrected using a cubic regression equation. The regression between the correction calculations by the cubic regression equation and the statistical electric power consumption data was applied in Japan and also in China, India and 10 other Asian countries. The correction method was then evaluated. This study confirms that electric power consumption can be estimated with high precision from the stable light.