Analytical Modeling of Solar Radiation Distribution on Vertical PV Facades in Urban Settings

With the need for increasing energy demand due to population growth in cities, and advancements in the efficiency of semi-transparent photovoltaic (ST-PV) technology, the integration of ST-PV modules into building windows has become feasible. This manuscript presents a novel analytical methodology for estimating incident solar energy on vertical PV modules integrated into building facades in an urban environment, emphasizing shade caused by nearby buildings. Monthly and annual direct-beam, diffusion, and global energies are calculated for different wall heights, building separation, and orientation. In addition, the distribution of the incident energy along the height of the wall is evaluated, indicating a non-uniform distribution. The incident diffusion energy is compared between isotropic and anisotropic models. The anisotropic model predicts higher diffusion energy by 3.5% to 14.5%, depending on the building separation. The incident energy on building facades is calculated for locations at low-mid (<!-- MathType@Translator@5@5@MathML2 (no namespace).tdl@MathML 2.0 (no namespace)@ -->