Simulating rooftop solar arrays with varying design parameters to study effect of mutual shading

Abstract

Rooftop solar arrays are a way of harvesting the energy from sun rays falling on the roof of buildings. These arrays can help buildings to generate power for themselves, either completely or partially fulfilling their energy needs. These systems however have their own sets of factors that can cause losses in them and reduce their power output. In this research work, the effect of mutual shading and design parameters are studied. The rooftop solar arrays with different parameters are simulated that help to estimate results closely agreeable with practical outcomes. The software ‘DIVA for Rhino’ was used to perform the simulations. The effect of various parameters such as the inclination of the roof surface, inter-row spacing of the panels, and their inclination, were studied. The degree of mutual shading was observed by varying these parameters. The power outputs and payback periods of the simulated systems were compared and their trends were observed to give a better understanding of how these factors affect rooftop solar arrays. The shading loss was high for higher panel inclination values coupled with smaller inter-row spacing. A higher roof inclination reduced the level of shading loss as it reduced the panel inclination with respect to the roof surface. The roof surface area increases with its inclination, which means more space for solar panels and hence a higher array power output. The results of the simulations will help in better decision-making during the construction of rooftop solar arrays as it helps to see the extent to which each of these parameters affects them.