A geographic information system-based large scale visibility assessment tool for multi-criteria photovoltaic planning on urban building roofs

Integration of photovoltaics (PV) into the urban environment will play a major role in the energy transition. However, installing PV systems on building roofs can be challenging, particularly for monumental buildings with strict architectural and social value restrictions. Assessing roof surface visibility is, therefore, key to finding as...

Mapping the photovoltaic potential of the roads including the effect of traffic

After developing the methodology, we applied it to the case of the Netherlands highways. We show that the average irradiation on the Dutch highway network is around 880 kWh/m2/y, 35% less than the potential of an optimally tilted conventional PV system in the south of the Netherlands. Covering the entire 1600 km of the Dutch highways network...

Time-varying, ray tracing irradiance simulation approach for photovoltaic systems in complex scenarios with decoupled geometry, optical properties and illumination conditions

The accurate computation of the irradiance incident on the surface of photovoltaic modules is crucial for the simulation of the energy yield of a photovoltaic system. Depending on the geometrical complexity of the surroundings, different approaches are commonly employed to calculate the irradiance on the photovoltaic system. In this article,...

Exploring the benefits, challenges, and feasibility of integrating power electronics into c-Si solar cells

Power electronics traditionally plays a crucial role in conditioning the power of photovoltaic (PV) modules and connecting the systems to the electricity grid. Recently, PV module designs with more sub-module power electronics are gaining increased attention. These designs can offer higher reliability and improved resilience against non...

Low-breakdown-voltage solar cells for shading-tolerant photovoltaic modules

The integration of photovoltaic (PV) technology in urban environments poses new challenges for the design of PV modules. In particular, the poor shading tolerance of conventional PV modules strongly limits the energy performance of urban PV systems. In this work, we analyze how interdigitated back-contact solar cells with low-breakdown...

A Comprehensive Workflow for High Resolution 3D Solar Photovoltaic Potential Mapping in Dense Urban Environment: A Case Study on Campus of Delft University of Technology

Photovoltaic (PV) technology is the most promising renewable energy source to be integrated on urban building surfaces. Modeling and simulating urban PV systems pose more challenges than the conventional ones installed in open field due to rich urban morphology. Herein, a comprehensive workflow to estimate urban solar PV potential is...

A fully reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic module for higher energy yields in urban environments

Photovoltaic modules in the urban environment are very often exposed to uneven illumination conditions. The electrical interconnection between solar cells in a photovoltaic module limits the power that a solar module can generate under partial shading conditions. In this article, we introduce a PV module that is able to dynamically reconfigure...

Simulation study of the electrical yield of various PV module topologies in partially shaded urban scenarios

Urban environments present a great potential to generate electricity with photovoltaic technology. However, this electricity cannot be fully harvested using conventional solar modules that have been designed for open landscapes. In urban environments, photovoltaic modules can often be subject to partial shading caused by trees and building...

A Simulation Study of Reconfigurable Modules for Higher Yields in Partially Shaded PV Systems

Photovoltaic systems in urban environments are usually partially shaded, thus the need for shade tolerant solar panels in the urban environment. We present the design of a series-parallel reconfigurable photovoltaic module. Given a specific irradiance distribution on its surface, it can change the interconnections between its solar cells to...

A quick-scan method to assess photovoltaic rooftop potential based on aerial imagery and LiDAR

A quick-scan yield prediction method has been developed to assess rooftop photovoltaic (PV) potential. The method has three main parts. For each roof, first (i) virtual 3D roof segments were reconstructed using aerial imagery, then, (ii) PV modules were automatically fitted onto roof segments using a fitting algorithm and finally, (iii) expected...