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The result of the multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers from different areas of knowledge to validate a solar radiation model is presented. The MAPsol is a 3D local-scale adaptive solar radiation model that allows us to estimate direct, diffuse, and reflected irradiance for clear sky conditions. The model includes the adaptation of the mesh to complex orography and albedo, and considers the shadows cast by the terrain and buildings. The surface mesh generation is based on surface refinement, smoothing and parameterization techniques and allows the generation of high-quality adapted meshes with a reasonable number of elements. Another key aspect of the paper is the generation of a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). This high-resolution DEM is constructed from LiDAR data, and its resolution is two times more accurate than the publicly available DEMs. The validation process uses direct and global solar irradiance data obtained from pyranometers at the University of Salamanca located in an urban area affected by systematic shading from nearby buildings. This work provides an efficient protocol for studying solar resources, with particular emphasis on areas of complex orography and dense buildings where shadows can potentially make solar energy production facilities less efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, the objective of applying shadow theory to architectural drawing is usually to obtain one (or several) bitmap images. This a priori innocuous fact leads to vector images being conspicuous by their absence when lighting factors come into play during the modelling and parametric design of architecture and its environment. The present article sets out a methodology to calculate shadows by placing vector drawing not only at the heart of the process but also of the obtained results. We found that in today's context of university excellence, it is essential to apply knowledge, control, as well as possible editing and postproduction of the effects generated by rendering process lighting calculations. Such interventions are also generally useful and effective in our profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The result of the multidisciplinary collaboration of researchers from different areas of knowledge to validate a solar radiation model is presented. The MAPsol is a 3D local-scale adaptive solar radiation model that allows us to estimate direct, diffuse, and reflected irradiance for clear sky conditions. The model includes the adaptation of the mesh to complex orography and albedo, and considers the shadows cast by the terrain and buildings. The surface mesh generation is based on surface refinement, smoothing and parameterization techniques and allows the generation of high-quality adapted meshes with a reasonable number of elements. Another key aspect of the paper is the generation of a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM). This high-resolution DEM is constructed from LiDAR data, and its resolution is two times more accurate than the publicly available DEMs. The validation process uses direct and global solar irradiance data obtained from pyranometers at the University of Salamanca located in an urban area affected by systematic shading from nearby buildings. This work provides an efficient protocol for studying solar resources, with particular emphasis on areas of complex orography and dense buildings where shadows can potentially make solar energy production facilities less efficient.

Shadow effect among buildings has great impacts on the building energy consumption and the performance of building photovoltaic, and calculating shadows on building surfaces in urban building energy modeling (UBEM) faces challenges of inefficiency, especially for dense urban areas. In this study, a novel shadow calculation approach based on sunlight channel is proposed that can streamline the surrounding environment and accelerate the shadow calculation process. The sunlight-channel algorithm can further accelerate the shadow calculation process by dynamically predetermining the shading surfaces according to the actual solar position. In a real urban context, the proposed approach can accelerate the computation process by over 10 times over the baseline and over 34 times over the non-accelerated method, with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 1.13% for the total solar radiation. The proposed approach copes well with both large-scale urban models and the complexity of building structures, particularly for urban models with complex changes in building heights. This approach can significantly enhance the computational efficiency in complex urban environments, facilitating an accurate and rapid analysis of the energy consumption and solar potential of buildings in dense cities. • Sunlight channel algorithm was proposed to screen the shading surfaces dynamically. • A rapid method for shadow calculation for complex urban environments was proposed. • 13 neighborhoods with different spatial scale and height variation were compared. • Accelerate by over 34 times over the non-accelerated method, with 98.8% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Structural acceleration of the shadow calculation was realized using a multithreaded framework. • The multithreaded shadow calculation framework can significantly shorten the calculation time. • The proposed shadow calculation method can achieve the same calculation accuracy. • The acceleration effect of multithreaded computing relates to the number of calculated surfaces. • For city-scale building shadow simulation, the calculation time is only 5.4% of the original time. Solar radiation significantly affects the thermal processes of buildings; thus, various building energy modeling programs have established corresponding shadow calculation modules. However, the large number of projection surfaces in a building requires extensive calculations, making it difficult to rapidly analyze the building shadow while ensuring hourly calculations. This study proposes an accelerated calculation framework for building shadows based on multithreaded parallel computing for an accurate building energy consumption analysis. Based on the basic principle of shadow projection calculation, the embedded, integrated development of a shadow calculation module is proposed, and a full-performance simulation platform kernel based on a multithreaded structure is constructed. Results show that the multithreaded shadow calculation framework can significantly shorten the calculation time. Based on case studies, a typical complex single building's shadow calculation speed can be increased by nearly 2.4 times, whereas for city-scale building shadow simulations, it is only 5.4% of the original duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]