Evaluation of the Inter-Building Effect on Energy Saving Potential of Radiative Cooling Materials

Abstract

Buildings in the urban area have huge decarbonization potential by applying novel energy-saving technologies. Recently, radiative cooling materials have drawn much attention for their refrigerant-free and energy-free properties in reducing energy consumption. However, the complicated geometry and configuration of artificial structures in urban areas can significantly limit the actual application of radiative material. One limitation is the inter-building effect with shading on buildings. Therefore, this study developed a fast solar irradiation generator on buildings' envelope, and radiative materials' energy-saving potential was evaluated on buildings' wall areas with different irradiation strengths. A case study showed that radiative materials have higher cooling performance on the wall area with solar irradiation larger than 30 Wh/m2.