Assessing combined object and mutual shading on the performance of a solar field

To make well-informed decisions on the implementation of solar energy on roofs within the urban environment, a new method was developed and described that could support such decision-making. This method takes both the mutual shading and shading from external objects into account. The method consists of the following six steps: 1) construction of the scene, 2) performance of annual solar irradiation analyses, 3) performance of statistical analyses, 4) calculation of the energy output, 5) calculation of the parameters payback time and profit, 6) displaying the results. Analysing the data by setting own preferences will make more informed decision-making possible. The outputs from the method are maps indicating which locations surrounded by objects that are profitable for PV installations. Alternatively, the maps can be used to show payback times for the PV installation.