3D Model for Solar Energy Potential on Buildings from Urban LiDAR Data

One of the most promising sustainable energies that can be considered in urban environments is solar energy. A 3D model for solar energy potential on building envelopes based on urban LiDAR data was developed in this study. The developed algorithm can be used to model solar irradiation with high spatio-temporal resolution for roof-, facade-, and ground surfaces simultaneously, while taking into account the surrounding vegetation. Global solar irradiation is obtained for regularly spaced points on building- and ground surfaces with a spatial resolution of 1m2 and a time resolution of 1 hour. The algorithm has been implemented in Matlab and results were generated for two different test areas in the city of Geneva, Switzerland. The results for these specific areas show that, even in a dense urban area, the upper parts of south-east to south-west oriented facades receive 600 to 1000 kWh/m2/year of solar input, which is suitable for active solar installations. The results also show that south oriented facades can get higher solar input during winter months than the low inclined roof surfaces. This demonstrates that, depending on the latitude, facades can have a significant impact on the solar potential of buildings in urban areas, particularly for a sustainable energy planning application.