As China rapidly experiences rapid urbanization, the residential sector has become a major contributor of rising energy demand and carbon emissions. Distributed photovoltaics (PV), particularly at the community level, offer a viable solution for sustainable electricity generation and achieving China’s ambitious carbon reduction targets. The integration of these systems into existing buildings presents aesthetic, spatial, technical, environmental, and economic issues that require innovative solutions. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of a community-level rooftop distributed PV project in Hangzhou, combining detailed solar potential analysis, architectural modeling, financial and environmental evaluations. The results demonstrate that the 79-unit installation generates 1328.74 MWh annually, effectively meeting residents' electricity needs while feeding surplus clean energy into the grid. The use of light-colored PV panels and elevated pavilion designs ensures aesthetic compatibility with local architecture while optimizing energy output and rooftop utility. The life-cycle assessment confirms the project’s economic feasibility with a 5.82 % internal rate of return and a discounted payback period of 15.31 years, including additional construction costs of architectural integration. The rooftop installation achieved a CO2 emissions reduction of 24,754.77 tons over 25 years. This study provides a replicable model for integrating aesthetically pleasing, technical integrated, economically viable, and environmentally beneficial distributed PV systems in residential communities. Crucial information for policymakers, urban planners, and architects refers to design guidelines development and incentive mechanisms optimization, thereby facilitating the large-scale deployment of community-level distributed photovoltaic generation projects.
Optimized community-level distributed photovoltaic generation (DPVG): Aesthetic, technical, economic, and environmental assessment of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems
Lucchi, Elena
2025-01-01
Abstract
As China rapidly experiences rapid urbanization, the residential sector has become a major contributor of rising energy demand and carbon emissions. Distributed photovoltaics (PV), particularly at the community level, offer a viable solution for sustainable electricity generation and achieving China’s ambitious carbon reduction targets. The integration of these systems into existing buildings presents aesthetic, spatial, technical, environmental, and economic issues that require innovative solutions. This study presents a comprehensive assessment of a community-level rooftop distributed PV project in Hangzhou, combining detailed solar potential analysis, architectural modeling, financial and environmental evaluations. The results demonstrate that the 79-unit installation generates 1328.74 MWh annually, effectively meeting residents' electricity needs while feeding surplus clean energy into the grid. The use of light-colored PV panels and elevated pavilion designs ensures aesthetic compatibility with local architecture while optimizing energy output and rooftop utility. The life-cycle assessment confirms the project’s economic feasibility with a 5.82 % internal rate of return and a discounted payback period of 15.31 years, including additional construction costs of architectural integration. The rooftop installation achieved a CO2 emissions reduction of 24,754.77 tons over 25 years. This study provides a replicable model for integrating aesthetically pleasing, technical integrated, economically viable, and environmentally beneficial distributed PV systems in residential communities. Crucial information for policymakers, urban planners, and architects refers to design guidelines development and incentive mechanisms optimization, thereby facilitating the large-scale deployment of community-level distributed photovoltaic generation projects.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
