Circular Statistics Applied to the Study of the Solar Radiation Potential of Rooftops in a Medium-Sized City

María-Eugenia Polo, Mar Pozo and Elia Quirós
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María-Eugenia Polo: Graphic Expression Department, University of Extremadura, 06800 Mérida, Spain
Mar Pozo: Graphic Expression Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Elia Quirós: Graphic Expression Department, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: Solar energy constitutes one of the most effective alternative energy sources for combating climate change. However, the solar potential in a city can vary depending on the urban morphology. The purpose of this paper is to perform a directional statistical analysis of the distribution of the monthly solar potential of rooftops in the city of Cáceres, Spain, in relation to the orientations and slopes of the rooftops. Two residential areas, one in the city center and one on the outskirts of the city, and an industrial zone, all of which exhibit different urban morphologies, have been evaluated. Statistics have been assessed in consideration of the orientation and slope values of the rooftops as circular data, and the radiation values as linear data. The three dissimilar urban morphologies result in different solar potential values, and the monthly disaggregation of the data enables the ability to detect the differences existing in the solar potential between each zone, during each month. The proposed analysis could also be extrapolated to urban planning for the design of more sustainable cities to face the challenges associated with climate change.

Keywords: solar potential; solar radiation; circular data; statistical analysis; rooftop orientation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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