SolarPW: A New Solar Design Tool to Exploit Solar Potential in Existing Urban Areas

This paper aims to show a new solar design tool that can be used to optimize the building's shape and solar access in existing urban areas. The presented methodology was used for the analysis of the Surfers Paradise in Queensland, where in the past the urban and buildings development changed completely the morphology of the city. Since in the medium term the Zero Energy building will be the standard for new constructions, urban development should follow the Integrated Sustainable Design approach and the principles of solar design in order to exploit solar radiation using PV modules and Solar thermal collectors in the building envelopes. The tool is based on Matlab algorithm and on RADIANCE-DAYSIM, a dynamic simulation tool, and can help urban designers and architects since the first design phase.