Harnessing the Sunlight on Facades - an Approach for Determining Vertical Photovoltaic Potential

Franz Welscher, Ivan Majic, Franziska Hübl, Rizwan Bulbul, Johannes Scholz

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding/Legal commentaryConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

The paper deals with the calculation of the photovoltaic potential of vertical structures. Photovoltaic systems are a core technology for producing renewable energy. As roughly 50% of the population on planet Earth lives in urban environments, the production of renewable energy in urban contexts is of particular interest. As several papers have elaborated on the photovoltaic potential of roofs, this paper focuses on vertical structures. Hence, we present a methodology to extract facades suitable for photovoltaic installation, calculate their southness and percentage of shaded areas. The approach is successfully tested, based on a dataset located in the city of Graz, Styria (Austria). The results show the wall structures of each building, the respective shadow depth, and their score based on a multi-criteria analysis that represents the suitability for the installation of a photovoltaic system.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication12th International Conference on Geographic Information Science (GIScience 2023)
EditorsRoger Beecham, Jed A. Long, Dianna Smith, Qunshan Zhao, Sarah Wise
Place of PublicationGermany
PublisherSchloss Dagstuhl- Leibniz-Zentrum fur Informatik GmbH, Dagstuhl Publishing
Pages82:1-82:7
Volume277
ISBN (Print)978-3-95977-288-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2023

Publication series

NameLeibniz International Proceedings in Informatics, LIPIcs
PublisherSchloss Dagstuhl - Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik

Bibliographical note

12th International Conference on Geographic Information Science : GIScience 2023 ; Conference date: 12-09-2023 Through 15-09-2023

Keywords

  • Facades
  • Multi-Criteria-Analysis
  • Shadow
  • Southness
  • Vertical Photovoltaics

Fields of Science and Technology Classification 2012

  • 507 Human Geography, Regional Geography, Regional Planning

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