Solar cadastre for assessment of near-zero energy districts

Abstract

The building sector is responsible for approximately 40% of the total energy consumption in Europe, with most of it allocated to space heating. Additionally, a continuous increase has been observed in conventional energy prices, as well as a dependency of energy supply on geopolitical stability. Building energy independence and net zero energy buildings and districts are presented as a way to overcome these issues, with the addition of on-site renewable energy, and specifically solar energy, exploitation. The intention to utilise solar energy on-site creates the need for solar mapping in urban areas. A dynamic solar potential estimation is essential for the proper dimensioning of solar systems, and it is conducted in this study via the Energy3D software. A typical urban neighbourhood in Thessaloniki Greece is selected and a simplified version of a Solar Cadastre for the area is produced. The annual solar potential of the selected buildings is calculated and analysed, and the parameters affecting it are presented. Additionally, an estimation regarding the electricity production of typical photovoltaic panels installed on the building surfaces is conducted. The calculations highlight the importance of vertical facades as building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems carriers.