BIPV window series: Modeling microclimate and energy impacts in urban

Intro: Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) offer an effective way to expand urban renewables and cut carbon. Due to the lack of modelling tools, the microclimate impact of BIPV windows in street canyons has not been well understood. This series comprises four studies that progress from model development and validation, through sensitivity analysis and parametric experiments, to a city-scale assessment of climate–energy feedbacks.

I like to deepen one topic through staged studies to ensure robustness—from mechanisms to large-scale analysis—because unjustified simplifications in numerical models can bias conclusions. The latest city-scale study builds directly on the three studies below.

Latest city-scale study

[1] Chen, L., Zhang, S., Li, X. C., Chui, T. F. M., Yang, J., Wang, W., Hong, T., & Wang, Z. (2026). Mitigating Urban Climate–Energy Feedback with Citywide Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Implementation. Nexus.
Full text: https://www.cell.com/nexus/fulltext/S2950-1601(25)00061-0

Foundations of the series

Model development and validation

[2] Chen, L., Zheng, X., Yang, J., & Yoon, J. H. (2021). Impact of BIPV windows on building energy consumption in street canyons: Model development and validation. Energy and Buildings, 249, 111207.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111207

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

[3] Chen, L., Yang, J., & Li, P. (2022). Modelling the effect of BIPV window in the built environment: Uncertainty and sensitivity. Building and Environment, 208, 108605.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108605

Parametric study under climate change

[4] Chen, L., Sun, Y., Zhang, N., Yang, J., & Wang, D. (2023). Quantifying the benefits of BIPV windows in urban environment under climate change: A comparison of three Chinese cities. Renewable Energy, 119740.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2023.119740

Poster (first three studies)

A concise overview of Studies [2–4]: BIPV Poster (PDF)