Abstract
Urban heat island (UHI) effects pose significant challenges to urban sustainability, and green roofs (GRs) and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are two widely adopted mitigation strategies. However, the potential synergies from their integration remain underexplored. This study investigates the combined performance of GR-PV systems in reducing ambient temperatures and enhancing PV energy yield. Using a coupled energy balance and PV performance model calibrated with data from a Mediterranean climate, we simulated scenarios for a typical office building in Athens, Greece. Results indicate that the GR-PV configuration reduces rooftop surface temperatures by up to 8.5°C compared to a conventional roof, and by 3.2°C compared to a GR-only roof. PV module temperatures decrease by an average of 4.1°C, leading to a 6.8% increase in annual energy generation. The integrated system also reduces building cooling loads by 12.4% and contributes to UHI mitigation through lower sensible heat fluxes. Economic analysis shows a payback period of 7.2 years, with a net present value increase of 18% over PV-only systems. These findings demonstrate that GR-PV integration offers synergistic benefits for urban heat mitigation and renewable energy production, supporting its adoption in sustainable urban design.
Keywords
green roofs, solar photovoltaic, urban heat island, synergies, energy generation, thermal performance, building energy efficiency, urban sustainability