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.
Proposed energy yield estimation steps incorporating user inputs.
Possible BIPV application scenarios with instance segmentation method utilized in S4S.
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.
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).
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