Effects of inhomogeneous irradiation distribution on a PV array in an urban environment

The effect of inhomogeneous irradiation on building-integrated photovoltaic arrays is studied with the help of the simulation program, PVPACK, developed in this work. Particular attention is paid to the effect of partial shading and reflection on photovoltaic (PV) arrays from the surrounding environment. By incorporating the raytracing program, RADIANCE, the irradiation distribution on the building surface can be calculated with a high resolution. Simulation results show that a poorly planned lay-out design of a PV array on a building can lead to large energy losses. Such a simulation tool is a helpful aid for successful incorporation of PV in the building sector.