A SketchUp-Based Optimal Design Tool for PV Systems in Zero-Energy Buildings During the Early Design Stage

Achieving zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) requires the appropriate planning of renewable energy systems, particularly photovoltaic (PV) systems, from the early design stage (EDS). Conventional PV system design tools have limitations, including insufficient integration with the architectural design process, complex operability, and inability to adequately reflect the characteristics of the EDS. In this study, we developed a PV system optimization tool based on SketchUp, which is widely used in the EDS. The developed tool inputs the building’s 3D modeling information and derives an optimal layout plan that minimizes the number of PV modules while achieving the target energy self-sufficiency rate (ESR) via particle swarm optimization. To verify the performance of the developed tool, a comparative analysis with the System Advisor Model (SAM) was performed, resulting in high accuracy with a maximum relative error of 2.25% in 15 verification cases. Through case studies of 20 different building masses, optimal PV layout plans that stably achieved a target ESR of 20% were successfully derived for diverse mass cases. This tool enables architects to perform preliminary sizing and performance evaluations of PV systems in the EDS without the support of engineers and provides an environment for the integrated consideration of energy performance and esthetics through the presentation of visualized results to support more effective decision-making in the EDS of ZEB projects.