Author links open overlay panelJinqing Peng, Jinyue Yan, Zhiqiang Zhai, Christos N. Markides, Eleanor S. Lee, Ursula Eicker, Xudong Zhao, Tilmann E. Kuhn, Manajit Sengupta,. Energy consumption in buildings has been steadily increasing and contributing up to 40% of t. Solar photovoltaic and/or solar collector products can integrate with building envelopes to form building integrated photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems, which can provide both. At present, in order to reduce building energy consumption and achieve the goal of building sustainability, many scholars have proposed concepts such as ultra-low energy buildings. The papers in this special issue described the state of the art of almost all fields of solar energy utilization in buildings, including solar PV generation, solar thermal for heating, hybri. The guest editors would like to express our gratitude to the publication team of the Journal of Applied Energy for their kind support and help in the organization and publication proce.
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How is solar energy used in building construction?
What is more, solar energy technology is increasingly being used in building construction, particularly in urban areas, which can reduce reliance on traditional energy sources . Progress in distributed energy systems is expected to increase the use of solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic/thermal systems in residential buildings .
Especially the residential buildings, which occupy the main part of a city, have a great potential to utilize the solar resources on building surfaces (Limin et al., 2017). However, the diversity of residential buildings and complexity of urban environments make it difficult to efficiently utilize solar energy.
Do solar building systems contribute to energy and environmental problems?
Due to the significant role that buildings play in overall energy consumption, the application and promotion of solar building systems contribute to the solution of energy and environmental problems. The following conclusions have been drawn.
Can solar energy be used in building applications?
The use of solar energy has great potential for promoting energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption in buildings. This study examines the applications of photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies in the field of architecture, demonstrating the huge potential of solar energy in building applications.
Can solar energy be used for residential building roofs and facades?
The characteristics analysis was conducted to illustrate the distribution of solar energy potential for building surfaces. Then, the quantitative analysis was presented to provide the PV utilization strategies for residential building roofs and facades in different block environments. The main conclusions can be drawn as follows:
Can building-integrated solar energy systems reduce energy consumption?
Its association with building-integrated solar energy systems demonstrates that they can not only increase the comfort of the building and reduce the energy consumption but also respond to the necessities of the grid, especially concerning adaptive systems.