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Urban Environment and Solar PV Performance: The Case of the Netherlands

Author

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  • Panagiotis Moraitis

    (Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Bala Bhavya Kausika

    (Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Nick Nortier

    (Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

  • Wilfried Van Sark

    (Utrecht University, Copernicus Institute, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands)

Abstract

The modern urban landscape creates numerous challenges for the deployment of solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology. The large structures that dominate the skyline of every city create compactness, which, in turn, limits the available rooftop area and creates unpredicted shading patterns. The majority of research today relies on modern applications such as geographical information system (GIS) software to evaluate urban morphology; however, this approach is computationally intensive and therefore it is usually limited to a small geographical area. In this paper, we approach this issue from another perspective, utilizing the enormous amount of high resolution PV yield data that is available for the Netherlands. Our results not only correlate performance losses with urban compactness indicators, but they also reveal a significant seasonality effect that can reach 15% in some cases.

Suggested Citation

  • Panagiotis Moraitis & Bala Bhavya Kausika & Nick Nortier & Wilfried Van Sark, 2018. "Urban Environment and Solar PV Performance: The Case of the Netherlands," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-14, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:11:y:2018:i:6:p:1333-:d:148622
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    5. Antonio Barragán-Escandón & Esteban Zalamea-León & Julio Terrados-Cepeda, 2019. "Incidence of Photovoltaics in Cities Based on Indicators of Occupancy and Urban Sustainability," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-26, February.
    6. Odysseas Tsafarakis & Kostas Sinapis & Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark, 2019. "A Time-Series Data Analysis Methodology for Effective Monitoring of Partially Shaded Photovoltaic Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-18, May.
    7. Olga Palusci & Carlo Cecere, 2022. "Urban Ventilation in the Compact City: A Critical Review and a Multidisciplinary Methodology for Improving Sustainability and Resilience in Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-44, March.
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    10. Slawomir Gulkowski, 2022. "Specific Yield Analysis of the Rooftop PV Systems Located in South-Eastern Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-20, May.
    11. Lonergan, Katherine Emma & Sansavini, Giovanni, 2022. "Business structure of electricity distribution system operator and effect on solar photovoltaic uptake: An empirical case study for Switzerland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    12. Andres Calcabrini & Mirco Muttillo & Miro Zeman & Patrizio Manganiello & Olindo Isabella, 2023. "Electrical performance of a fully reconfigurable series-parallel photovoltaic module," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    13. Meng, B. & Loonen, R.C.G.M. & Hensen, J.L.M., 2022. "Performance variability and implications for yield prediction of rooftop PV systems – Analysis of 246 identical systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).

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