Modelling Effects of Rooftop PVs on Outdoor Temperatures: The Case of Low Latitude Neighbourhoods
Abstract: The impact of solar photovoltaic panels (PV) on urban climates has been investigated in a number of recent studies, which resulted in contradictory findings. In this paper, we address this issue by conducting a simulation-based comparative study of neighbourhoods in Casablanca with and without rooftop PV panels. Using an urban energy balance model, building surface temperatures were computed for each surface patch from ground, roofs and facades with a spatial resolution of 2 m x 2m for horizontal surfaces and 2m x 1m for vertical surfaces. A 3D heat map was obtained, allowing to visualize temperature differences within an area of 500m x 500m. Results show that the installation of solar PV leads to a cooling effect of buildings’ roof surfaces during daytime, with a decrease of temperature reaching 5.1unmapped: inline-formula unmapped: math unmapped: msup unmapped: mrow unmapped: mrow unmapped: mo ∘C.
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