Application of 3D GIS to Urban Buildings–A Case Study of the Optimum Position of Photovoltaic Solar Panels

Global climate changes and natural disasters have happened frequently around the world. It has become a consensus that we should actively develop renewable energy resources and reduce the use of non-renewable energy resources of the Earth. Solar energy has no pollution and does not restrict to regions. Besides, power generated by solar energy reaches the peak in summer which becomes the best solution to ease off the high demand on electricity in summer. However at present, most photovoltaic solar panels are installed on the roofs. The power so generated can only meet one-floor’s electricity demand. Therefore, in order to increase the efficiency of the power generation, the present work took into account the exterior surfaces of buildings, and tried to find the optimum installation position of photovoltaic solar panels for buildings. In this study, we used the solar radiation data of the last decade from the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan to construct a solar radiation calculation model and a shadow algorithm for the Zhongzheng District in Taipei city, Taiwan. The optimum orientation and height for installing photovoltaic solar panels were calculated. The research results which took a sample building for an example showed that the radiation received by vertical surfaces was reduced because of shadow effect. Besides, the total radiation received by vertical surfaces is more than that received by horizontal surface. The corresponding installation area and irradiation were also computed to provide a reference for the public and the government.