University of Jordan

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Renewable Energy Systems

0904751

Dr. Salih N Akour

Solar System Design

Student Name Student Number

Salam Albaradie 8170761

Feb 22, 2019

 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Abstract
The choice of appropriate location is the first and the very essential step in solar system
design procedure. Even the most carefully planned solar system doesn’t work satisfactorily
if the location wasn’t properly chosen.in this report we will discuss and observe the location
effect on Solar Altitudes, Azimuths Angle, and Shadow Angles.
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Table of Contents
Abstract ...........................................................................................................................2
1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................4
2 Declination Angle .......................................................................................................5
3 Hour Angle.................................................................................................................7
4 Solar Altitude .............................................................................................................7
5 Solar Azimuth.............................................................................................................8
6 Shadow Angles ............................................................................................................8
7 Shading Design ......................................................................................................... 15
8 References................................................................................................................ 18

List of Figure
Figure 1: The tilt of the earth remains constant at 23.47o as it revolves around the Sun. ..........4
Figure 2: The Declination Angles ........................................................................................5
Figure 3:The variation in the declination angle throughout the year. .......................................5
Figure 4:The variation in the declination angle throughout the year.. ......................................6
Figure 5:Sun height............................................................................................................7
Figure 6: azimuth. ............................................................................................................8
Figure 7:Figure 7: Horizontal and vertical shadow angles .......................................................8
Figure 8: Sun height Vs. Hour .......................................................................................... 12
As shown in Figure 9, the sun height various through months as shown in July and June the sun
is highest in the sky while in January and December the sun is lowest in the sky. ................... 12
Figure 10: Sun height Vs. Azimuth. ................................................................................... 13
Figure 12: Shadow Length Vs. Hour. ................................................................................. 14
Figure 13: Movement of the Sun. ...................................................................................... 15
Figure 14: Shading design using 3D sun path. ..................................................................... 16
Figure 15:Wall without Shading @ June 12Pm. ................................................................... 16
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

1 Introduction
The sun is a giant nuclear fusion reactor that combining hydrogen to form helium to
generates a great amount of energy. Radiation from the sun catalyzes or directly supplies
most of the natural energy systems on earth.
The earth rotates around the sun. This causes the sun to "rise" and "set". The angle of
the sun and its intensity on earth is affected by location of the place on the surface of the
earth. The length of the atmosphere that the solar radiation has to pass through determines
the amount of radiation that reaches the earth's surface. During the day, the sun is directly
overhead and radiation travels through least amount of atmosphere en route to the earth's
surface. As the sun moves closer to the horizon (sunset), the path of the radiation through
the horizon lengthens and the intensity of the radiation decreases. Also, at a high elevation,
the amount of atmosphere that the solar rays have to travel through is lesser and therefore
the energy content is somewhat higher.

Figure 1: The tilt of the earth remains constant at 23.47o as it revolves around the Sun.
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

2 Declination Angle
The angle between the earth-sun line and the equatorial plane is called the declination angle.
Declination changes with the date and is independent of the location. The declination is maximum
(23.45) on the summer/winter solstice and 0 on the equinoxes.

Figure 2: The Declination Angles

Declination is calculated with the following formula:

360  (284 + N )
 = 23.45  sin( )
365
where,
 = Declination angle.
N= day of the year.

Figure 3:The variation in the declination angle throughout the year.

 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Using MATLAB for estimating the Declination.

%% Define
clc
clear all
close all
monthnumber=input('Month Number = ');
date=input('Date =');
month_index = monthnumber-1;
date_index = date-1;
%% Day_Cal
j_day=calcJDay(month_index,date_index);

%% Declination @ a specify day

Decl_Angles=23.45*sin(deg2rad((j_day+284)*360/365));
Decl_Angles_r=deg2rad(Decl_Angles);

%% Declination For year

for i=1:365
day(i)=i;
j_day=i;
Decl_Angles_4_ayear(i)=23.45*sin(deg2rad((j_day+284)*360/365));
Decl_Angles_r=deg2rad(Decl_Angles_4_ayear(i));
end

figure(1)
plot(day,Decl_Angles_4_ayear)
xlabel('Day of the Year','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-axis label
ylabel('Declination ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-axis label
legend('Declination')
grid

Figure 4:The variation in the declination angle throughout the year..

 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

3 Hour Angle
The Hour Angle is the angular distance that the earth has rotated in a day. It is equal to 15
degrees multiplied by the number of hours from local solar noon. This is based on the nominal
time, 24 hours, required for the earth to rotate once i.e. 360 degrees. Values East of due South,
morning values are positive; and values West of due South, evening values are negative. The Hour
Angle can be defined by

 = 15 * (12 − hour )
where,
hour is the current hour of the day.

4 Solar Altitude
The solar altitude is the vertical angle between the horizontal and the line connecting to the sun.
At sunset/sunrise altitude is 0 and is 90 degrees when the sun is at the zenith. The altitude relates
to the latitude of the site, the declination angle and the hour angle.

 = sin −1 (sin ( L ) sin ( ) + cos ( L ) cos ( ) cos ( ) )

where,
L = Latitude Coordinates.
 = Declination.
 = hour angle.

Figure 5:Sun height.

 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

5 Solar Azimuth
The azimuth angle is the angle within the horizontal plane measured from true South or North.
The azimuth, when in reference to the South is usually called the bearing. If the sun is East of
South, the Bearing is positive, else the bearing is negative.

 sin ( ) sin ( L ) − sin ( ) 

 N = cos −1  
 cos ( ) cos ( L ) 

Figure 6: azimuth.

6 Shadow Angles
The horizontal shadow angle (HSA) is relevant for vertical shading
devices such as fins. It is easy to determine: It's the angle between
the normal of the window pane and the azimuth of the sun.

HSA = azimuth − orientation

The vertical shadow angle (VSA) is a little bit more difficult. If we
imagine a virtual plane between the bottom left-hand and right-hand
corners of the window and the sun, then the VSA is the angle this
plane forms with the ground plane.

 tan (altitude ) 
VSA = tan −1  
 cos (HSA )  Figure 7:Figure 7: Horizontal and vertical
shadow angles
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Using MATLAB for estimating the Sun Path.

% Main_Prog
% ****Salam Albaradie*****
% * **********************
% * Terms of use *********
% * **********************
% * **********************
% * Feel free to edit it if needed.
% **********************************************
% * @design & edit by {PEACE}
% *albaradies@gmail.com -:)
%% Define%% Define
clc
clear all
close all
Lat=input('latitude of your current Location =');
Lat_r=deg2rad(Lat);
H=3; %length of wall
monthnumber=input('Month Number = ');
date=input('Date =');
month_index = monthnumber-1;
date_index = date-1;
%% Day_Cal
j_day=calcJDay(month_index,date_index);
%% Declination @ a specify day
Decl_Angles=23.45*sin(deg2rad((j_day+284)*360/365));
Decl_Angles_r=deg2rad(Decl_Angles);

%% Solar Angle @ a specify day 4 24h

for i=1:25
hour(i)=i-1;
Hour_Angle(i) = 15*(12 - hour(i));
Hour_Angle_r(i)=deg2rad(Hour_Angle(i));

Alt_hight(i)=asin(cos(Lat_r)*cos(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Hour_Angle_r(i))+sin(Lat_
r)*sin(Decl_Angles_r));
azimuth(i)=acos((sin(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Lat_r)-
cos(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Hour_Angle_r(i))*sin(Lat_r))/(cos(Alt_hight(i))));
D_azimuth(i)=rad2deg(azimuth(i));
if Hour_Angle(i)<=0
D_azimuth(i)=D_azimuth(i);
elseif Hour_Angle(i)>0
D_azimuth(i)=360-D_azimuth(i);
end

D_Alt_hight(i)=rad2deg(Alt_hight(i));
shadow(i)=H/tan(deg2rad(D_Alt_hight(i)));

Zenith_Angle(i)=90- D_Alt_hight(i);

if D_Alt_hight(i)<1
shadow(i)=0;
end
end
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

%% Declination For year

for i=1:365
day(i)=i;
j_day=i;
Decl_Angles_4_ayear(i)=23.45*sin(deg2rad((j_day+284)*360/365));
%%%
Decl_Angles_r=deg2rad(Decl_Angles_4_ayear(i));
for j=1:25
hour(j)=j-1;
Hour_Angle(j) = 15*(12 - hour(j));
Hour_Angle_r(j)=deg2rad(Hour_Angle(j));

Alt_hight(j)=asin(cos(Lat_r)*cos(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Hour_Angle_r(j))+sin(Lat_
r)*sin(Decl_Angles_r));
azimuth(j)=acos((sin(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Lat_r)-
cos(Decl_Angles_r)*cos(Hour_Angle_r(j))*sin(Lat_r))/(cos(Alt_hight(j))));
D_azimuth(j)=rad2deg(azimuth(j));
D_Alt_hight(j)=rad2deg(Alt_hight(j));

if Hour_Angle(j)<=0
D_azimuth(j)=D_azimuth(j);
elseif Hour_Angle(j)>0
D_azimuth(j)=360-D_azimuth(j);
end

end
figure(4)
hold on
plot(D_azimuth,D_Alt_hight)
xlabel('Azimuth','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-axis
label
ylabel('Sun height ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-axis
label
legend('Sun height')
grid

end

%% Plot Comm
figure(1)
plot(day,Decl_Angles_4_ayear)
xlabel('Day of the Year','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-
axis label
ylabel('Declination ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-axis
label
legend('Declination')
grid

figure(3)
hold on
plot(D_azimuth,D_Alt_hight)
xlabel('Azimuth','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-axis
label
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

ylabel('Sun height ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-axis

label
legend('Sun height')
grid

figure(5)
hold on
plot(hour,D_Alt_hight)
xlabel('Hour','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-axis label
ylabel('Sun height ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-axis
label
legend('Sun height')
grid

figure(6)
hold on
plot(hour,shadow)
xlabel('Hour','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % x-axis label
ylabel('Shadow Length ','FontSize',12,'FontWeight','bold','Color','r') % y-
axis label
legend('Shadow')
grid

function j_day=calcJDay(month_index,date_index)
j_day=0;
date_val=date_index+1;
if (month_index==0)
j_day=0+date_val;
elseif (month_index==1)
j_day=31+date_val;
elseif (month_index==2)
j_day=59+date_val;
elseif (month_index==3)
j_day=90+date_val;
elseif (month_index==4)
j_day=120+date_val;
elseif (month_index==5)
j_day=151+date_val;
elseif (month_index==6)
j_day=181+date_val;
elseif (month_index==7)
j_day=212+date_val;
elseif (month_index==8)
j_day=243+date_val;
elseif (month_index==9)
j_day=273+date_val;
elseif (month_index==10)
j_day=304+date_val
elseif (month_index==11)
j_day=334+date_val;
end
end
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

latitude of your current Location =31

Month Number = 1

Date =1

Figure 8: Sun height Vs. Hour

As shown in Figure 9, the sun height various through months as shown in July and June the sun
is highest in the sky while in January and December the sun is lowest in the sky.
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Figure 10: Sun height Vs. Azimuth.

As shown in Figure 10, the sun height vs Azimuth angle through the day, at summer season the
sun has the highest altitude and longest day-time, Vice versa.
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Figure 11: Shadow Length Vs. Hour.

As shown in Fig. 10, the length of the shadow changes with the hours of the day.
 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

7 Shading Design
Direct sun can generate the same heat as a single bar radiator over each square meter of a surface,
but effective shading can block up to 90% of this heat. By shading a building and its outdoor spaces
we can reduce summer temperatures, improve comfort and save energy.

Figure 12: Movement of the Sun.

Radiant heat from the sun passes through glass and is absorbed by building elements and
furnishings, which then re-radiate it inside the dwelling. Re-radiated heat has a longer wavelength
and cannot pass back out through the glass as easily. In most climates, ‘trapping’ radiant heat is
desirable for winter heating but must be avoided in summer.
Shading of wall and roof surfaces is therefore important to reduce summer heat gain, particularly
if they are dark coloured or heavyweight. Light coloured roofs can reflect up to 70% of summer
heat gain. To reduce unwanted glare and heat gain, we will use fixed shade and plant to shade the
building, particularly windows. Evergreen plants are recommended for hot humid and some hot
dry climates. For all other climates use deciduous vines or trees to the north, and deciduous or
evergreen trees to the east and west.
Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Figure 13: Shading design using 3D sun path.

Figure 14:Wall without Shading @ June 12Pm.

Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

Figure 15: Wall shading length 1m.

Figure 16:Wall shading with tree.

 Solar System Design Salam Albaradie

8 References

Sayigh, A.A.M., Ed. (1977), Solar Energy Engineering; Academic Press, ISBN 0-12-620850-6.
Meeus, J. (1999), Astronomical Algorithms; Willman-Bell Inc., ISBN 0-943396-61-1.
Reda, I., Andreas, A. (2007), Corrigendum to "Solar position algorithm for solar radiation
applications"; Solar Energy, vol. 81.
Reda, I., Andreas, A. (2008), Solar Position Algorithm for Solar Radiation Applications; NREL,
NREL/TP-560-34302, January 2008.
Blanco-Muriel et al. (2001), Computing the solar vector; Solar Energy, vol. 70, pp 431-441.
Cooper, P. I. (1968), The absorption of radiation in solar stills; Solar Energy, vol. 12, pp 333-
345.
Grena, R. (2008), An algorithm for the computation of the solar position; Solar Energy, vol. 82,
no. 5, pp 462-470.
Walraven, R. (1978), Calculation the position of the sun; Solar Energy, vol.20, pp 393-397.
Walraven, R. (1979), Erratum. Solar Energy vol.22, pp 195.
Wilkinson, B. J. (1983), The effect of atmospheric refraction on the solar azimuth. Solar Energy,
vol.30, pp 295.
Kambezidis, H. D.; Papanikolaou, N. S. (1990), Solar position and atmospheric refraction. Solar
Energy, vol. 44, pp 143-144.
Calculation of Sun Position, Sunrise and Sunset: Sun Position Calculator.