Integration of renewable energy with urban design : based on the examples of the solar photovoltaics and micro wind turbines

Abstract

To deal with the challenge of climate change and energy security, renewable energy has been widely regarded as an increasingly important solution leading to a more sustainable future. Given the fact that more than half of all energy is consumed in cities today, designers and academics have sought to integrate renewable energy technologies at small scale into the urban environment. This thesis explores effective ways of combining renewable energy with urban development through analyzing the relationship between urban form and renewable energy production. It focuses on two renewable technologies: solar photovoltaics (PV) and micro-wind turbines, both to produce electricity, at the urban scale. The study starts with a detailed review of the characteristics of both technologies. It then analyzes the energy potential simulation methodologies and examines relevant urban-form indicators qualitatively and quantitatively. A comparison of renewable energy potential in four different neighborhoods in Jinan, China then follows to distill the key urban-form factors. With the simulation results in Jinan, the thesis then studies the implications of the key urban form factors and provides design principles that could improve renewable energy potential in future urban development. The research shows that urban form has quite significant impact on potential neighborhood renewable energy output under a given climate condition. PV would make a much larger contribution to total renewable potential than wind energy in cities with climates similar to Jinan's. Low-rise neighborhoods with high roof coverage provide the best conditions for solar PV integration; whereas the windward open area best accommodates the wind power generation. For future developments, urban renewable energy potential could be increased through existing or innovative urban forms, such as the low-rise courtyard prototype for solar integration and a combination of low-rise blocks and high rise towers that accommodates both sun and wind.