Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 804-8550, Japan

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Abstract: The use of photovoltaic (PV) systems is rapidly increasing worldwide as a source of renewable power generation. During operation, their power output is influenced by weather conditions. If the surface of the PV cell does not receive adequate sunlight due to shade or precipitation, less electricity will be generated. An optimal location for a PV system that receives enough solar radiation must therefore be determined by considering the influence of partial shadows. In this work, solar radiation data is analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS) and digital surface model (DSM). However, the resolution of the DSM provided by Kitakyushu City was not high enough to describe the necessary details of partial shadows. To overcome this problem, a method using a high-resolution DSM based on aerial photographs taken by a drone is proposed. The proposed high-resolution DSM was able to accurately reproduce the shape of the partial shadow and evaluate the detailed locations and shapes of partial shadows. Evaluating the solar radiation considering weather conditions by the data values obtained from a pyranometer indicated that a pyranometer could be used to correct the result of solar radiation analysis considering weather conditions.

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