Solar Potential Analysis of Bus Shelters in Urban Environments: A Study Case in Ávila (Spain)

[EN] The presence of shadows is one of the main disadvantages of photovoltaic solar panel installations in urban environments. This article analyses their effect on solar installations performed on urban elements where the use of solar energy can be considered novel: bus shelters. For this purpose,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Aparicio, María, González González, Enrique, Martín Jiménez, José Antonio, Lagüela López, Susana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:gredos______::eee76ff1838f2b6d438f43faf19cc04b
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/170829
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Point cloud
Photovoltaic energy
LiDAR
Shadows
Horizon profile
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] The presence of shadows is one of the main disadvantages of photovoltaic solar panel installations in urban environments. This article analyses their effect on solar installations performed on urban elements where the use of solar energy can be considered novel: bus shelters. For this purpose, the PVGIS tool is used in combination with a new methodology for the extraction of the shadow horizon profile from LiDAR point clouds. The results show a 29.90% and 37% reduction of calculated solar radiation using horizon profiles derived from LiDAR point clouds of 0.5 pts/m2 and 1 pt/m2, respectively, versus no horizon profile. By taking shading into account, thanks to this study it is possible to make a more realistic prediction of the use of the electrical energy generated by the sun to cover urban energy consumption in bus shelters. Results show that the energy surplus produced overall allows these elements to be converted into charging points for light electric vehicles, allowing up to 35 units per day/bus shelter to be charged. The use of bus shelters as a place to generate clean energy through solar energy and charge light vehicles makes it possible to move towards sustainable and environmentally friendly cities.