Tool for Calculation of Solar Radiation and Solar Systems Design

This article deals with the visualization of maps and calculations of solar radiation and photovoltaic systems. The first part of this paper describes the current situation, the EU´s interactive maps (Photovoltaic Geographical information System). It also describes the input data used for developing the application, ASTER GDEM data and describes the process of calculating the terrain shadows data. In this part is also discussed issue of solar radiation and proper orientation and slope of photovoltaic panels in relation with the type and inclination of the landscape. The second part of this article is devoted to the development of the custom application which visualizes the solar radiation and terrain shadows to the map and calculates the solar radiation for the area specified by the user. Application uses the Open Source control from the project GMaps.NET. In conclusion, results are compared to the EU model with own solutions and is described the future of this project.