Segment for Solar (S4S)

Segment for Solar Facades (S4S) is a tool that utilizes instance segmentation methods to accurately estimate the solar energy potential of building facades. Facades vary greatly in their design, and the placement of solar panels must be tailored to each application. S4S takes into account the architectural details and variations of facades, providing a more accurate assessment of their solar potential.
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Proposed energy yield estimation steps incorporating user inputs.

Proposed energy yield estimation steps incorporating user inputs.

Segment for Solar (S4S)

Tool Website:
>>> Coming soon. Stay tuned!

Corresponding Author:
- Ayca Duran, duran@arch.ethz.ch

Publications: 
- Duran, A., Waibel, C., & Schlueter, A. (2023). "Estimating surface utilization factors for BIPV applications using pix2pix on street captured façade images". Journal of Physics Conference Series, 2600(4), 042005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2600/4/042005

Possible BIPV application scenarios with instance segmentation method utilized in S4S.

Possible BIPV application scenarios with instance segmentation method utilized in S4S.

Instant BIPV Design using Street View Images

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) retrofits can help transform buildings into energy producers, but accurate, facade-specific solar assessments are essential. Building facades are diverse and complex, with windows, balconies, and other features complicating solar panel installation. Existing approaches to estimating facade solar potential often oversimplify these details, leading to inaccurate overestimates. Segment for Solar Facades (S4S) addresses this by offering a segmentation approach to evaluate solar potential in detail.


S4S combines deep learning-based image segmentation with solar irradiance data to assess the solar potential of building facades. Using the Segment Anything model, S4S performs segmentation on facade images to identify suitable areas for solar panel installation, accounting for windows, doors, and other architectural features. On selected facade surfaces, BIPVs are considered based on user-defined PV technology. S4S then integrates irradiance data from PVGIS to calculate the annual energy potential and monthly energy yields for the facade, considering its unique details.

Variability in the element composition of 100 building facades in Zurich (SF: Sonnenfassade, MFH: Multi-family house, SFH: Single-family house, IEA: International Energy Agency).

Variability in the element composition of 100 building facades in Zurich (SF: Sonnenfassade, MFH: Multi-family house, SFH: Single-family house, IEA: International Energy Agency).

Improved solar yield estimation

S4S is currently under development. Future enhancements will further improve energy yield estimation by incorporating shading factors through image analysis and allowing additional user input to refine segmentation results. If you’re interested in learning more or have any ideas, feel free to reach out!

Browser implementation prototype

Published 09. October 2024 (Updated 1 month ago) Return POW Module Overview

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