Analysis of Building Archetypes for Optimising New Photovoltaic Energy Facilities: A Case Study

Jesica Fernández-Agüera, Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo, Nerea García-Cortés and Miguel Ángel Campano
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Jesica Fernández-Agüera: Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
Samuel Domínguez-Amarillo: Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
Nerea García-Cortés: Department of Architectural Building, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain
Miguel Ángel Campano: Instituto Universitario de Arquitectura y Ciencias de la Construcción, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-13

Abstract: Fuel poverty rates are high in southern Europe, particularly in social housing, despite the enormous potential for capturing solar power inherent in the roofs of apartment buildings. The in situ generation, distribution and consumption of photovoltaic energy carry obvious advantages including vastly improved efficiency attendant upon the reduction in distribution-related losses and costs, and the energy empowerment afforded lower income communities. The primary drawback is the imbalance between photovoltaic production patterns and users’ actual needs (peak consumption vs. peak generation). That mismatch is difficult to reconcile without resorting to energy storage or net metering, both of which entail grid involvement and greater management complexity. The present study introduces a methodology for analysing residential archetypes to determine the values of the parameters essential to optimising photovoltaic energy production and use. The aim is to determine where excess generation can be shared with other users in the vicinity and optimally pool residential rooftop facilities to meet community-scale energy demand, ultimately enhancing such disadvantaged neighbourhoods’ self-sufficiency. The case study discussed defines archetypes for just such a neighbourhood in Madrid, Spain. The solar energy production potential of the example is promising for its application in large southern European cities, with self-sufficiency rates obtained ranging from 15% to 25% and self-consumption rates from 61% to 80%.

Keywords: photovoltaic energy; deprived neighbourhoods; renewable energy; archetypes; energy output (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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