Solar energy potential of urban buildings in 10 cities of China

• Published in: Energy (Oxford) Vol. 196; p. 117038
• Main Authors: Cheng, Liang, Zhang, Fangli, Li, Shuyi, Mao, Junya, Xu, Hao, Ju, Weimin, Liu, Xiaoqiang, Wu, Jie, Min, Kaifu, Zhang, Xuedong, Li, Manchun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: 3D building model; Buildings; carbon; Carbon sources; China; Cities; data collection; Decision making; Economic development; emissions; Energy; Energy sources; Facades; Irradiation; Photovoltaic cells; Radiation; Regional development; Roof and facade; Roofs; shade; Shading; Solar energy; solar radiation; structural roofs; Sustainable development; Weather; Weather conditions; China; Roof and facade; 3D building model; Solar energy; Weather conditions
• ISSN: 0360-5442; 1873-6785
• DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.117038

The solar energy potential of urban buildings is important for China’s sustainable economic development. Previous studies have focused on creating regional solar maps or estimating the irradiation of building roofs. This study estimates the practical potential of solar energy in cities with a novel roof-facade framework. Improvements have been made to make it more practical by integrating roofs and facades, considering view shading effects, and correcting weather impacts. The developed framework was applied to calculate the solar energy potential for 10 cities in China on a microscopic scale. The annual solar irradiation ranges from 41.39 to 772.94 TWh, with an electric capacity of 6.21–115.94 TWh. A dataset of the annual solar irradiation for more than 1.44 million buildings of the 10 cities is now available as a free download (https://gis.nju.edu.cn/rs_01.asp?ID=74&type_1=425). The results can support decision-making related to reducing reliance on conventional energy sources and reducing carbon emissions. •Solar irradiance can be calculated on not only building rooftops but also side walls.•Point cloud is generated from 3D building models.•The influences of shadows and view-sky factors caused by surrounding buildings are considered.•Solar irradiation affected by real-world weather conditions are corrected.