Impact of Building Morphological Indicators on Solar Potential: Validation Analysis of Vertical Obstruction Factor (VOF)

Li, Yirong, Yu, Liu, Zhuo, Lei, Liu, Siyi, Jie, Song

ISES Solar World Congress 2025 · Fortaleza, Brazil · 2025-11-03
Published by International Solar Energy Society (ISES)
DOI: 10.18086/swc.2025.08.11

Abstract

Integrating solar potential into architectural and urban planning requires an accurate assessment of sunlight obstruction among buildings. This study evaluates the applicability of the Vertical Obstruction Factor (VOF)— an index previously validated only in Lhasa, China—in a different climatic and morphological context: Xi'an. Two key findings are reported: (1) In Xi'an, VOF is significantly correlated with solar potential indicators (p < 0.05); (2) The threshold values of solar potential differ markedly between the two cities. In Xi'an, the minimum VOF threshold reaches – 0.35, whereas in Lhasa, the maximum VOF threshold is – 0.1. Overall, this study confirms the cross-regional applicability of VOF under varying climatic and morphological conditions, providing a quantitative reference for optimizing solar-oriented residential layouts.

Keywords

Vertical Obstruction Factor (VOF), Building morphology, Solar potential, Cross-regional validation, Threshold effect

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