Predicting energy generation from residential building attached Photovoltaic Cells in a tropical area using 3D modeling analysis

Energy generation by photovoltaic (PV) installations on residential building envelopes in tropical area was evaluated by using a new practical method employing 3D analysis. Calculations of monthly global radiation were used to investigate solar potential in the study case area. In order to simulate optimal locations of PV panel installation, BIM Revit software was used to quantify the incident solar radiation and for color rendering of different levels experienced in different areas of the building envelope due to Sun path and the influence of the local environment. The amount of energy generated by hypothetical PV panels was compared to actual residential sector energy consumption which became a baseline for evaluating the prospective implementation of PV in a tropical area. The results indicated that the optimal location for installing PV panels was on the roof of a building where incident solar radiation levels are high and uniform throughout the year. In addition, the walls of the building oriented to the East and West have a great potential to harvest electrical energy as an optional location for photovoltaic panel installation. The potentially available photovoltaic energy generated was compared to the actual electrical energy consumption and demonstrated a favourable surplus for electrical energy supply. The energy surplus provided by three types of photovoltaic output varied from 172% to 1700% above the baseline consumption, thus installing photovoltaics on residential buildings could have a strong potential to secure both current energy consumption and future energy demand. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.