Solar energy is at the heart of the energy transition. This requires that available roofs and some building facades be used as much as possible with solar panels to intensify the production of solar energy. This is the objective of the VALES project supported by the HES-SO and SIG, and carried out by HEPIA and the School of Engineering and Management in Yverdon-les-Bains.
The VALES project aims to develop specific algorithms to improve the modeling of reflected radiation, which is the main component of solar radiation on vertical surfaces, at the city scale. To achieve this goal, the modeling of the built environment must be improved in terms of level of detail (LOD). This level of detail assessment is based on semi-automatic classification techniques of oblique aerial images, in order to (i) identify suitable surfaces for solar panel installation, (ii) classify the texture and albedo of each facade element. The radiosity techniques are used with a 3D model of the urban environment. This allows to calculate the reflected solar radiation and finally the global solar radiation.
Concretely, the project activities allowed to develop the modeling tools, to demonstrate their use at the scale of pilot districts (Meyrin-Cité), to compare and validate with measurements carried out in real situation (rue des Grottes). The presented project is part of the perspective of realizing a large-scale solar cadastre of facades, in order to complete the existing solar cadastre of roofs at the scale of Greater Geneva. It will thus be possible to enrich the self-consumption balance sheet with the facade component and constitute an investment aid.
Welcome photo: Kholesilo ©Architectes.ch
Project partner(s)
Project leader - team
Gilles Desthieux
(HEPIA),
Blaise Raybaud (HEPIA)
,
Peter Gallinelli
(HEPIA),
Reto Camponovo
(HEPIA)