Investigation Of The Impacts Of Local Microclimate On PV Energy Efficiency And Outdoor Thermal Comfort

Cities are increasingly incentivizing rooftop photovoltaics (PV) for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions together with more urban forestry and high albedo surfaces for the mitigation the of urban heat island (UHI) effects. Previous interventions are proven to be effective in isolation, but their combined performance is seldom considered. Through microclimate simulations of a neighbourhood in Brampton, Ontario, this study investigates the trade-offs between large-scale deployments of rooftop PV, street trees and cool roofs. The performance of each intervention is compared in terms of PV efficiency and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) values. The study shows that street trees can reduce the energy output of rooftop PV significantly depending

on their height and location, and such, there is need for solar access laws in Ontario. Further, adopting rooftop PV instead of cool roofs can result in a pedestrian environment up to 0.5 °C higher UTCI during a heat wave.