Optimal orientation of the gable roofs covered with photovoltaic panels: Case study Kragujevac

Abstract

In this paper, a study was conducted to determine the optimal orientation of the gable roofs covered with photovoltaic panels (PVP) for the area of the city of Kragujevac. Numerical simulations using Google SketchUp and EnergyPlus software are performed for two different PVP placement cases. The first case analyzes the installation of PVP only on one side of the gable roof. The second case analyzes the installation of PVP on both sides of the gable roof. The weather conditions for the city of Kragujevac were taken into account during the simulations. In the case of one-sided gable roof covering, the annual electricity production is the highest when the PVPs are facing south (223.26 kWh/m 2 /a). In the case of bilateral (two-sided) covering, the annual electricity production can be up to 181.3 kWh/m 2 /a, if the gable roof is oriented in the East-West direction. By comparing both cases, south-oriented PVPs from the first case annually generate 18.79% more electricity than East-West-oriented PVPs from the second case.

Keywords

• solar incident angle
• gable roof
• photovoltaic panel
• optimal orientation
• google sketchup
• energyplus