Design Strategies for

Net-Zero Energy
Buildings
Solar geometry
(Lecture 10–11)
Outline
1. The Earth’s Motion About the Sun
2. Time
3. Solar Angles

2
Earth’s Motion About the
Sun
(5 mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2kLvnlfkTs

Demo:
https://astro.unl.edu/naap/motion1/animations/seasons_eclipti
c.html

3
Solar Angles

4
Fundamental Solar Angles
Direction of sun’s rays can be described from:
– Location on earth’s surface
– Day of the year
– Time of day

5
 Longitude parallel
to sun rays

O Lat. (l)
Equator

Latitude (l = Angle POA): angle between OP and

projection of OP on the equatorial plane (OA).
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7
 Longitude parallel
to sun rays

O O’
Equator

B
A
Declination (δ = Angle O’OB): angle between line joining center
of earth and sun (O’O) and its projection on equatorial plane (OB).
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Declination 9
 Longitude parallel
to sun rays

O O’
Equator

B
A

Hour angle (h = Angle AOB): angle between OA & OB

(projection of OO’ on equatorial plane).
10
 Longitude parallel
to sun rays

l
O O’
Equator

B
A

All three angles.

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Fundamental Solar Angles
• Latitude (l): from location.

• Hour angle (h):

– Measure of time of day w.r.t. solar noon.
– 1 hour of time corresponds to 360/24 = 15° hour angle 
@ 3 pm solar time  h = 45°
h = 15°(ST − 12)
– Convert standard time to solar time:
www.powerfromthesun.net/calculators/LocalToSolarTime.html

• Declination (δ):

N: day of the year counted from January 1

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End of Lecture 10

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Derived Solar Angles: Altitude
Vertical W

Horizontal
plane

S N

E O (Center of earth)
Solar altitude angle ( ): angle between the sun’s ray and the
projection of that ray on a horizontal surface.

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Derived Solar Angles: Zenith
Vertical W

𝒛
Horizontal
plane

S N

E O (Center of earth)
Sun’s zenith angle ( ): angle between sun’s rays and a
perpendicular to horizontal plane.

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 Derived Solar Angles: Azimuth
Vertical W

Horizontal
plane

S N

E O (Earth’s center)
Solar azimuth angle (Φ): angle in horizontal plane (clockwise),
between north and projection of sun’s rays on that plane (facing
direction).
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Sun-path diagrams

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 18
Sun Path over Kanpur: Ref http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html
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Sun Path over Kanpur: Ref http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html
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Sun Path over Kanyakumari: Ref http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html
Sunbeams

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Sunbeams
• Sunbeams lets us know if the solar access and shading
design works as intended.
• Many faulty solar-responsive designs get built because
the sunbeams were drawn incorrectly.

Section AA
Sunbeams
• Example: Draw the sunbeams on the plan and section of the
building.
N

1m
0.7 m

4m
1.2 m 1.6 m
Section AA

0.7 m

Section AA E
3m
Plan
Sunbeams on the plan
• Example: Draw the sunbeams for the times shown on
the plan and section of the building.
N

Date Time Altitude Azimuth

Feb 21 12 noon 45° 180°

July 21 8 am 45° 90°

Aug 21 2 pm 60° 235°

Plan
Sunbeams on the plan
N

Section AA Jul 21,

8 am,
90°
55°

Aug 21, Plan

2 pm,
235°

Aug 21, 2 pm, 180°

Sunbeam in the section
• July 21, 8 am, β = 45°, φ = 90°

0.7 m
45°

1.6 m

0.7 m

Section AA East
Sunbeam in the section (with overhang)

d1

Section AA Jul 21,

8 am,
90°

Plan
Sunbeam in the section (with overhang)
• July 21, 8 am, β = 45°, φ = 90°

0.7 m
45°

d1
1.6 m

0.7 m

Section AA East
Sunbeam out of the section

d2
d1
Section AA Jul 21,
8 am,
Aug 21, 90°
2 pm, 55°
235°
Plan
Sunbeam out of the section
• Aug 21, 2 pm, β = 60°, φ = 235° (outside the sectional
plane AA)

60°

d2

Section AA East
Apparent overhang lengths

d2
d1

Jul 21,
d2,app
8 am,
Aug 21, 90°
2 pm, 55°
235°
Plan
New section

N Section
BB

d2

Jul 21,
d2,app
8 am,
Aug 21, 90°
2 pm, 55°
235°
Plan
The sectional view
• Aug 21, 2 pm, β = 60°, φ = 235° (in the sectional plane
BB)
Aug 21

60°

d2,app

Section BB East
Sideways overhang extension
N

55°

Plan
Aug 21, 2 pm, 235°

Extend overhang sideways to prevent sunrays from outflanking it!!!

Distorted sunbeams
Sunbeams in the section

Only appropriate for the northern hemisphere temperate zone.

May not work for India!
End of Lecture 11

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