A novel shadow calculation approach based on multithreaded parallel computing

Abstract

Solar radiation significantly affects the thermal processes of buildings; thus, various building energy modeling programs have established corresponding shadow calculation modules. However, the large number of projection surfaces in a building requires extensive calculations, making it difficult to rapidly analyze the building shadow while ensuring hourly calculations. This study proposes an accelerated calculation framework for building shadows based on multithreaded parallel computing for an accurate building energy consumption analysis. Based on the basic principle of shadow projection calculation, the embedded, integrated development of a shadow calculation module is proposed, and a full-performance simulation platform kernel based on a multithreaded structure is constructed. Results show that the multithreaded shadow calculation framework can significantly shorten the calculation time. Based on case studies, a typical complex single building’s shadow calculation speed can be increased by nearly 2.4 times, whereas for city-scale building shadow simulations, it is only 5.4% of the original duration.