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Investigating solar energy potential in tropical urban environment : A case study of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun ; Lindberg, Fredrik ; Johansson, Erik LU ; Rasmussen, Maria Isabel LU and Thorsson, Sofia (2017) In Sustainable Cities and Society 30. p.118-127
Abstract

Solar energy is considered to be an alternative sustainable energy source in the urban environment. The potential of using solar energy in urban areas is highly dependent on urban morphology which affects the level of solar irradiance received by individual buildings. Many studies focus on solar energy potential of building form in urban areas but relatively few studies examine how urban morphology affects solar energy potential of urban neighbourhoods. It leads to inefficient design of neighbourhoods in terms of solar energy potential. The present study investigates the potential of exploiting solar energy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by using numerical modelling of solar irradiance on building roofs and façades. It is shown that there... (More)

Solar energy is considered to be an alternative sustainable energy source in the urban environment. The potential of using solar energy in urban areas is highly dependent on urban morphology which affects the level of solar irradiance received by individual buildings. Many studies focus on solar energy potential of building form in urban areas but relatively few studies examine how urban morphology affects solar energy potential of urban neighbourhoods. It leads to inefficient design of neighbourhoods in terms of solar energy potential. The present study investigates the potential of exploiting solar energy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by using numerical modelling of solar irradiance on building roofs and façades. It is shown that there is substantial solar irradiance received by building roofs in all four study neighbourhoods and urban morphology has considerable effects on annual solar irradiance. Solar irradiance of different orientations of tilted roofs and façades is subject to seasonality of the solar azimuth angle. It is suggested that such abundant solar energy sources would provide solutions to accommodate the increasing energy demand and to improve living quality in urban areas due to the rapid urbanization of the city.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Developing countries, Solar energy potential, Solar irradiance, Urban morphology
in
Sustainable Cities and Society
volume
30
pages
10 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000398181700010
  • scopus:85011589733
ISSN
2210-6707
DOI
10.1016/j.scs.2017.01.010
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
71e5ee3a-32c5-469b-b06e-8a0e02e71b20
date added to LUP
2017-02-15 11:55:27
date last changed
2024-02-29 08:50:33
@article{71e5ee3a-32c5-469b-b06e-8a0e02e71b20,
  abstract     = {{<p>Solar energy is considered to be an alternative sustainable energy source in the urban environment. The potential of using solar energy in urban areas is highly dependent on urban morphology which affects the level of solar irradiance received by individual buildings. Many studies focus on solar energy potential of building form in urban areas but relatively few studies examine how urban morphology affects solar energy potential of urban neighbourhoods. It leads to inefficient design of neighbourhoods in terms of solar energy potential. The present study investigates the potential of exploiting solar energy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by using numerical modelling of solar irradiance on building roofs and façades. It is shown that there is substantial solar irradiance received by building roofs in all four study neighbourhoods and urban morphology has considerable effects on annual solar irradiance. Solar irradiance of different orientations of tilted roofs and façades is subject to seasonality of the solar azimuth angle. It is suggested that such abundant solar energy sources would provide solutions to accommodate the increasing energy demand and to improve living quality in urban areas due to the rapid urbanization of the city.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lau, Kevin Ka-Lun and Lindberg, Fredrik and Johansson, Erik and Rasmussen, Maria Isabel and Thorsson, Sofia}},
  issn         = {{2210-6707}},
  keywords     = {{Developing countries; Solar energy potential; Solar irradiance; Urban morphology}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  pages        = {{118--127}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Sustainable Cities and Society}},
  title        = {{Investigating solar energy potential in tropical urban environment : A case study of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.01.010}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.scs.2017.01.010}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}